Star Wars: The Hunt for Obi Wan Kenobi
by Don113
Summary: Madakor, the Blood Fleet, and the 7th Sky Corp make their stand against the Empire in Chapter 11. BONUS: Whoever finds the '300' reference gets a free cookie.
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

**Star Wars: The Hunt for Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Chapter One: Knightfall

In a dark room on Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker knelt down before Darth Sidious. He was going against everything he had been taught, everything he had once stood for. But he couldn't let his love die.

The old man raised his hand and set it on Skywalker's head. "You are now Darth…Vader."

It was Skywalker who had knelt, but it was Vader who rose. "Thank you my master."

"Every Jedi, including your friend, Obi Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic. Go to the Jedi Temple, Lord Vader, and do what must be done."

"Yes, my Master."

In that dark room, the death sentence of every Jedi in the Galaxy had been signed.

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Admiral Antidar Madakor silently donned his armor. He hadn't received the summons, but he knew they were coming. He knew the moment the 501st Legion had touched down on Triple Zero. He knew the moment his security monitors captured footage of four Jedi Masters striding towards the Supreme Chancellor's office. And he knew, when he saw Anakin Skywalker christened as Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith.

He caressed the blades that were on his wrists. He would be putting them, as well as his mastery of the martial arts form Teras Kasi to the test. His specially trained company of Clone Assassins was going to lead the assault on the Jedi Temple. But before he went, he needed to meet one person.

Jedi Master Arligan Zey waited patiently for Madakor on the landing platforms outside GAR Intelligence HQ. "What's going on?" demanded Zey. "What's happening? My clone troopers tried to kill me! Even Captain Maze!" He stopped short, eyeing Madakor. "Why are you wearing you armor?"

"The Supreme Chancellor has issued Order 66," said Madakor simply.

"Is this some nonsense order that strips more power from the Council?"

"No," said Madakor. "It states that all Jedi are now enemies of the Republic. Every Jedi is to be killed."

Zey paled, but drew his lightsaber.

Madakor sighed. "Zey, just…leave. Run away. For old time's sake, I'm willing to let you go. I've always respected the Jedi, but my loyalty lies with the Republic."

Zey didn't move.

"Go, Zey. Go before I change my mind."

A blade of forest-green erupted from the silver hilt in Zey's hands.

Two fifteen-inch blades of cortosis alloy slid smoothly into place on Madakor's forearms. "I'm sorry, old friend."

"So am I."

Zey slammed his blade down. Madakor barely had time to cross his blades and block the saber strike. He lashed out at the Jedi's chest with a straight kick. Zey stumbled, but blocked Madakor's attack, delivering a kick of his own. He swung his saber horizontally, a strike meant to separate Madakor's head from the rest of his body. To the Admiral, Teras Kasi made everything seem too slow. He easily ducked under the blow, pulled his arm back…and stabbed Zey in the heart.

Zey's face seemed to mirror the surprise Madakor felt right now: I killed a Jedi Master.

To the Jedi's credit, he didn't cry out in pain. He simply looked at Madakor, and murmured, "…why…?"

Madakor pulled the blade out slowly, and Arligan Zey crumpled to the ground without another whisper. His lightsaber clattered onto the landing platform and rolled to a stop at the feet of Captain Maze, the ARC trooper formerly assigned to the Jedi. The ARC trooper's armor had a long gash going down diagonally from the left bicep to underneath the right side of his rib cage. His helmet had a similar gash, and Madakor could see the clone's eyes.

"Sir?" said Maze, "are you alright?" As he was speaking, several clone troopers of the 132nd Shock Trooper Legion in their distinctive red-emblazoned armor ran onto the platform from an LAAT/i gunship. They methodically searched the corners and shadows, calling out 'all clear' when they were satisfied no Jedi was hiding there.

"Sir?" repeated Maze.

"I'm fine," said Madakor. "Remove the body and dispose of it in a respectable fashion."

"Yes sir." Maze motioned to two troopers, who dragged Zey's body onto the gunship. The LAAT lifted off, carrying Maze with it. Madakor looked at the horizon, where he could see the huge plume of smoke that was the Jedi Temple.

The Republic as everyone knew it was dead.

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Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith. That was the new persona of former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. To those that didn't know the real person under the mask, Anakin Skywalker died when the 501st Legion assaulted the Jedi Temple. When Madakor accompanied the new Emperor Palpatine to Mustafar, he had been horrified at the sight of Skywalker's body. That the man was still alive was tantamount to an act of Providence. Madakor did not witness the change that transformed Skywalker's burnt, maimed body into a Sith Lord, but he had to admit the results were successful. Vader towered seven feet tall, clad entirely in black. The helmet was skull-like with a triangular vocabulator that emitted raspy breaths.

The effect was terrifying.

Many of the other officers noticed it too; their faces paled when that expressionless helmet's gaze passed over their features. However, Madakor refused to be cowed by this shadow of a man, an abominable mix of flesh and machine. To increase his own figure of authority and respect, he was still clad in his armor. It was a heavily customized Phase-II clone trooper armor set, black with red trim. The Clone Assassin-like blades gleamed on the Admiral's arms, safe in their sheathes. A DC-17 ICWS Inter-Changeable-Weapon-System blaster hung on a sling over his shoulders, and a DC-15A blaster rifle was holstered on his right thigh. On the left side of his waist and his right ankle was holstered a DC-15s sidearm. A jetpack very much like the one used by Commander Cody rested on his back. His T-shaped visor glowed an eerie blue, like a Clone Commando's. The Admiral himself stood a good six feet and four inches.

Madakor was very intimidating.

Vader spoke to each officer in turn, promising them rewards for serving the Empire…and punishment for not serving it properly. Finally, Vader turned to Madakor. He rumbled, "You will remove your helmet in my presence, Admiral."

Madakor removed his helmet slowly and stared tight into the 'face' of Vader. He remained stock still.

"Why do you wear armor, Admiral?" asked Vader.

"The Empire is still in a state of war, Vader," Madakor replied smoothly. "Being the right hand of the Emperor, I would assume you know that."

"Be careful how you speak, Admiral, or else—"

"Or else you will choke me with the Force, hurl my body into the air and throw it into the sky-lanes of Coruscant. Yes, I know what happened to Captain Jace Dallin." Madakor knew he was treading dangerous ground, but he had the backing of the Emperor; there were still Jedi to catch, and Madakor's network was the only one that could find them. "Killing able officers and soldiers doesn't win respect, Vader. Fear, maybe, but never respect. I want to make one thing clear, Vader: I do not fear you. And I don't respect murderers, either. I answer directly to the Emperor, not you."

Vader didn't move. He merely looked at Madakor for a long time. He knew killing the Admiral would risk severely displeasing his new master, so he said, "Be thankful, Admiral, that the Emperor values your services so greatly." He retrieved a data pad from his belt and handed it to Madakor. "I am giving you a new task: I want you to find Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Dead or alive?"

"Alive. I will deal with him myself."

"I see." Of course, Vader wanted another crack at Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anyone who had lost three of their limbs to the Jedi Master would want to kill him too. Madakor had even felt a measure of pity for the ruin of a man they had brought back from the volcanic hellhole called Mustafar. But only a little. Any respect he had had for Vader had quickly evaporated when Vader killed Jace Dallin; Madakor had requested the able captain be transferred under his command. No, he didn't respect Vader, but he had to carry out his duties as head of Imperial Intelligence. "I've received word that a group of Jedi led by Roan Shryne has escaped Order 66.We're tracking them."

"How did Shryne escape?"

"Apparently, they escaped with the help of Captain Climber, a Clone Commando, who didn't understand why he had to execute his commanding officer without a good reason. He and his squad are currently under arrest on Murkhana."

Vader said, "I will deal with them myself." With that, the Sith Lord turned heel and swept out of the room.

Madakor turned to his subordinate, ARC-1138, or 'Switchblade' as his call sign was known. He had helped Madakor train the Clone Assassins, and had discarded his normal Phase-II armor for one more closely resembling those of his students. "How many assassins are left, Switchblade?" asked the Admiral.

"Fifty-two, sir. They tried to overwhelm Kenobi and Yoda, but they failed."

"I see." It was a tremendous loss, and a testament to the skills of Kenobi and Yoda. "Have the survivors transferred under my command. I also want Commander Cody to be transferred under my command as well. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir. I'll get on it right away."

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Events happened this way: Vader executed Captain Climber and had the rest of his squad killed, then he killed another Jedi Knight, then the survivors fled to Kashyyk and tried to ambush him there while the 501st stormed the beaches at the Wookiee capital of Kachiro. Vader then followed a false lead on Kenobi's location despite Madakor's reasoning that it might be a trap. The Sith Lord discovered several Jedi on Kessel and killed quite a few on his own. Vader was nearly killed, and would have died had Madakor not convinced Commander Bow of the 501st to disobey Vader and go to his rescue. In the meantime, the Rebel Alliance had risen and delivered a first blow, defeating Imperial forces at the Battle of Toprawa by a narrow margin; Madakor had arrived with ten Venators once assigned to the Open Circle Fleet, but not in time to prevent the theft of the Death Star Plans.

For his actions, Madakor was given a fleet of thirty black-hulled Venator-class Star Destroyers, with sixty Acclamator-Class Star Destroyers to act as frigates, several Tartan Patrol Cruisers to act as scouts and screen his Venators from enemy fighters and bombers, and many ARC-170 fighters refitted for recon missions. He had the dock-masters at the Kuat Shipyards paint the edges red. Madakor chose as his personal flagship the most heavily armored and armed ship, and christened it _Bloodshine_. When Grand Moff Tarkin ridiculed the old ships that had valiantly defended Coruscant, Madakor had every one of his Venators upgraded to such an extent that they could match the new Imperial-Class Star Destroyers. _Bloodshine _herself could outmatch any Star Destroyer, as evidenced when she engaged in single combat with the traitor Moff Kalast. _Bloodshine _and the Blood Fleet participated briefly in the Second Battle of Geonosis.

Madakor had Commander Cody and the 7th Sky Corp transferred under his command, and renamed them as the 7th Imperial Intelligence Corp, although he would refer to them by their old name. He had their orange markings repainted black and the white portions of their armor repainted in a jungle camo scheme. He considered the new stormtrooper armor to be stupid and inefficient, so his soldiers kept their modified Phase-II armor. They briefly participated in the Imperial attack on Geonosis, helping other elements of the Imperial Army put down the last remnants of Geonosian and Rebel resistance.

Madakor, the Blood Fleet, and the 7th Sky Corp would, however, have their prowess put to the test at the Battle of Eriadu.


	2. Chapter 2: Showdown

Chapter 2: Showdown with the Consortium

_Bloodshine _exited hyperspace above Eriadu, accompanied by two Acclamators and four Tartan Patrol Cruisers. Contact with the Imperial Academy on the planet had been lost, and the only clue as to what had happened was a very brief distress call with the word 'help'. As the closest Imperial commander, Madakor left Commander Cody in charge of the rest of the Blood Fleet and took seven ships with him to see what was wrong.

_Bloodshine _had never been in real combat save the one time they had engaged Moff Kalast's Star Destroyer, and neither had its crew, which was new. Madakor had remedied this by subjecting them to countless simulations, ensuring that they would be ready in case actual battle happened upon them.

Madakor had no idea what had happened to the Imperial forces at Eriadu, but he was willing to put his money on the rebellion. Although frustrated by their hard-to-track hit and run attacks, Madakor felt a grudging respect for the rebels.

"Admiral!" cried Captain Switchblade, "We have a contact! Several ships are decloaking!"

Decloaking? The only Imperial craft equipped with cloaking devices were the experimental TIE Phantoms. That must mean—

"Tyber Zann," growled Madakor, balling his hands into fists. The head of the Zann Consortium was well known in black market circles, and Madakor had known the man had bribed Mandal Hypernautics into providing him with ships. Madakor had assumed the ships would be used for raids on Jabba the Hutt's forces; Zann's heated rivalry with the obese crime lord was also well known. But the admiral had never thought Zann would dare to hit an Imperial target. To further his anger, Zann's face appeared on screen.

"Greetings, Admiral Madakor," said Zann. "I was just doing some shopping here; my people are rather short on blasters. Unfortunately, your stormtroopers were unwilling to sell, so I had to kill many of them. A pity, to be sure. However—"

"Shut up!" shouted Madakor. "All ships, open fire!"

"You should watch your blood pressure, admiral," smirked Zann. "And do you think a couple of outdated ships would prove to be a match for my fleet?"

"More ships decloaking!" shouted Switchblade.

Several more ships, this time capital ships, decloaked. Others emerged from the other side of the planet.

"How many ships," said Madakor slowly, "are we looking at?"

ARC-1138 checked the console. "Computer has identified them. Three Aggressor-Class Destroyers with a modified one in the lead—probably Zann's—along with two Keldabe-Class Battle Cruisers, twelve Crusader-Class Gunships, several Skipray Blastboat bombers and many Starviper squadrons. A total of seventeen ships, sir."

"Alert!" shouted another officer. "Enemy bombers incoming!"

Madakor decided now was the time for some fancy tactics. "Order the Tartans to destroy those fighters. Direct the V-Wings to engage those bombers. Hold the ARC-170s back until the Crusaders are destroyed. Have the Acclamators target those Crusaders and order the Eta-2s to screen us and the Acclamators. Accelerate to attack speed. We're engaging those capital ships at point-blank range. Make sure the SPHA cannons are charged up."

"Sir?" asked Switchblade after he had given the orders, "Do you think it's smart to engage those ships at point-blank?"

"No," said Madakor, "but Zann won't expect it." He turned his attention to a Keldabe making a beeline for one of his Acclamators. The frigates had already destroyed five Crusaders, and Zann wanted that threat eliminated. Madakor didn't feel like granting him the pleasure. "Helm! Ascension ten degrees."

"Answering course, sir."

"Fire SPHA at that battle cruiser."

"Firing!"

A beam of brilliant blue light jetted from the _Bloodshine_'s ventral hangar bay, punching through layers of armor and piercing the enemy battle cruiser's reactors. The ship exploded.

No time to celebrate, however. One of the Aggressors flanking Zann's ship turned to face the _Bloodshine_. The enemy destroyer's main guns charged up.

"Declination ten degrees," said Madakor. "Target their main cannon and fire dorsal SPHA."

"Answering new course and firing cannon."

While Madakor had borrowed the SPHA tactic from the Open Circle Fleet, he had gone further by adding another SPHA to the top hanger. To his satisfaction, the Aggressor was destroyed. But by now, _Bloodshine_ had closed with Zann's fleet. A Keldabe-class ship was approaching on the Venator-class Star Destroyer's portside.

"Prepare for broadside exchange!" shouted Switchblade, who had spotted the threat. The two Acclamators _Triumph_ and_ Majestic_ had destroyed most of the Crusaders. The Tartans, finished dealing with the enemy bombers, assisted the frigates.

"Transfer power to weapons!" said Madakor.

"All batteries, fire!"

The distance between the ships was closed, and they exchanged fire. _Bloodshine_ shook violently, but held course, and her armor refused to be breached. By the time the two ships had passed, the battle cruiser was a floating wreck and _Bloodshine_ was victorious.

The other Aggressor flanking Tyber Zann's ship turned and prepared to fire. But by now, the Crusaders were no longer a threat.

"Order the ARC-170s on a bombing run," said Madakor. "Have them target their main cannons."

"Very good, sir," replied Switchblade.

"Divert power to shields." Madakor was confident that the Aggressor would be destroyed, but he knew it would get off the first shot. As the two cork-screwing balls of energy hurtled towards _Bloodshine_, Madakor realized he hated being right.

"Brace!" shouted Switchblade.

_Bloodshine_'s shields drained and every console flared. The bridge lighting failed, then rebooted. The ship, now very close to the planet, began to list to port and fall in the gravity well.

"Stabilize!" shouted Switchblade. "Activate emergency booster engines!"

The ship's descent slowed, it rose, and resumed its former course.

"Starboard, ninety degrees," said Madakor. The ARC-170s had done their work; the other Aggressor was falling towards the planet, burning up in the atmosphere. Now Madakor could focus on Tyber Zann's ship. _Triumph_ had left the other Acclamator to finish off the Crusaders, and now steamed forward to join _Bloodshine_.

Zann's face reappeared on screen. "I'm impressed, Madakor. You're not like the other Imperial Admirals. You could do a lot better if you join me."

"You're not in a position to bribe anyone, Tyber Zann, let alone me," replied Madakor.

"Yes I am. You're shields are weak and you're weapons systems are offline to cool off. Your Acclamator has the same problems, and in any case it won't reach you in time." Zann's smirk grew wider. "I might let you live if you join the Consortium. Otherwise, your ship is just cannon bait."

Madakor was about to reply, when a console chimed. Now it was the Admiral's turn to smile. "Oh, I think you've got our positions reversed, Tyber Zann."

The crime lord frowned. "What—"

Twenty-nine black-hulled red-trimmed Venators emerged from hyperspace, with _Guarlara _and Commander Cody in the lead. "Sorry we're late, Admiral," said Cody. "I had a hunch you might get yourself in trouble."

Madakor grinned, and then turned his attention back to Zann's ship…which had disappeared. "Fierfek!" he muttered (he had picked up some Mandalorian words while working with Kal Skirata a long time ago). "The son of a slorth cloaked!"

"We've detected a ship entering hyperspace, Admiral," said Cody, trying to keep a straight face—seeing an Admiral swearing wasn't something you saw every day—"Shall we pursue?"

Madakor sighed. "No. Send in the 7th to the planet's surface and secure it. I want Eriadu to be firmly back in Imperial hands. After that, we're going to pay a visit to Mandal Hypernautics."

"Right away, Admiral."

Madakor closed the channel, and Cody's holographic image faded away.

"Sir?" asked a bridge officer tentatively. "Did we actually…win this one?"

Madakor smiled. "Yes Lieutenant, we did."

The bridge was silent for a moment…then it erupted into cheers and celebration.

Switchblade was about to silence them, but Madakor put his hand on the clone's shoulder. "Let them celebrate," said the Admiral softly. "The Force knows they've earned it."

The ARC removed his helmet to reveal a wide grin of his own. "Yes sir." He looked a little uncomfortable for a bit, and then he laughed. "I never knew you swore, sir."

Madakor laughed, too. "Only on special occasions." He paused as Lieutenant CA-1207 'Knife Edge', one of his Clone Assassins, approached him. "What is it?"

"Sir, we may have a clue about Kenobi's whereabouts."

"What do you mean?"

"We've found General Grievous's fighter."

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**A/N: As you can see, I've combined elements of the Clone Wars, SW: EAW-FOC and Republic Commando. Also some elements of Battlefront II. I hope you like it.**


	3. Chapter 3: Polis Massa

Chapter 3: Bloodshed at Polis Massa

Madakor looked over the ancient and rusted Belbullab 22 heavy starfighter. It was found dead in space by a group of Black Sun pirates, and forcefully acquired by CA-1207 shortly after. The Admiral worried that the pile of bodies Knife Edge had left behind as a result of his 'forceful acquisition' could provoke Black Sun's leader, Prince Xizor, to retaliate. Madakor was all too aware of the Faleen's far reach, and intended to stay well away from it.

The admiral replayed the last log. There was no hologram, and the audio was choppy, but it was still informative.

"_emer…ncy code nine-thir…have no respo..se on any freq…cies…senator or…my clone troops tur…d on me…"_

There was nothing further, despite the efforts of several technicians. However, Madakor now knew for certain Kenobi did indeed escape Utapau, and that General Grievous' fighter did not follow a preset flight path to escape, as other Imperials had thought. He also knew that Kenobi had contacted a senator whose surname began with 'Or'. Orn Free Taa? No, that didn't make sense. Bail Organa? That did make more sense. Organa was more outspoken against the Empire's policies, as was his daughter. His daughter wasn't born at the time, or at most was an infant barely weeks old. That left the elder Organa. It was time to pay a visit to Alderaan. But, first things first.

"Switchblade, is the fleet ready?"

"Yes sir. All ships are in position," replied the clone.

"Fire."

Thirty Venator-Class Star Destroyers, assisted by sixty Acclamator-II Assault Cruisers and several hundred ARC-170s fired volley after volley into Mandal Hypernautic's shipyards over Mandalore. The entire yards—ships, ship frames, repair vessels and everything else—burned and melted. By the time the Admiral ordered the fleet to cease fire, all that was left was a large cloud of vaporized metal. That, Madakor reasoned, should be enough to prevent Tyber Zann from acquiring any more ships for a long time.

"Have _Intervention_, _Triumph_ and_ Majestic_ accompany us to Alderaan," said Madakor, "and tell Cody to take the fleet back to Kuat."

"Very good, sir."

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"Admiral Madakor," said Senator Organa warmly, "This is an unexpected pleasure. But then again, most Imperial visits to Alderaan are."

Madakor laughed. He had always liked Bail Organa, unlike most other Imperials. "I'm dreadfully sorry, Senator, but I am here on business."

"Oh? How might I help?"

"Your ship, the _Tantive IV_: do you still have the logs from the Clone Wars years? Specifically, around the end of the war?"

"Oh I don't know," replied Organa airily. "You should ask Captain Antilles…though I doubt he'd remember."

If he's acting, thought Madakor, he's doing a bloody good job. "No, you see, I want to see it myself. Unless you'd rather object?"

Madakor detected a brief flicker of concern break through Organa's pleasant expression. "No, no. Not at all. Please, help yourself."

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Madakor and a team of techies checked every system on the ship. There was nothing tying Organa to Kenobi, at least not physically. What was he to do….?

A blue astromech rolled into the bridge. It made a rude whistling noise at the Imperials before plugging into the ship's systems. That was the key. Madakor nodded to one of his techs, and the clone leveled a stunner at the droid. He fired.

The astro-droid screamed and fell on its back, giving a feeble whimper before shutting down. Madakor hoped the damage wasn't permanent; if Organa was involved, he didn't want to tip him off. He inserted a cord into the droid and accessed its memory. Madakor had recognized the little droid. It had to be R2-D2, Anakin Skywalker's old droid; there was no other of its kind that was so rude. Madakor was betting that Organa didn't wipe the astromech's mind; no one except a protocol droid could understand the whistling, beeping speech of an R2 unit.

It seemed that Organa _had_ picked up Kenobi. They had gone to Polis Massa for some reason. It didn't matter why. Madakor was going there as soon as possible. It had been fifteen years since the hunt began, and for the first time, the quarry seemed closer than ever.

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_Bloodshine _exited hyperspace, followed shortly by the Venator-Class Star Destroyer _Intervention_ and the two Acclamators _Triumph _and _Majestic_. Madakor had elevated to two commanding officers, Janek Sunber and Rod Pallin, to full captain status for their exemplary actions at Eriadu. Sunber was a native of Tatooine and a loyal officer. His actions at Maridun were legendary, but he was refused promotion. Madakor had taken him in, and though he wasn't thrilled at commanding a 'slave ship', he took to his duties with the utmost dedication. Pallin was an able officer transferred from the Stormtrooper Corp to the Navy, and relatively green.

It galled Madakor to know that the Acclamators not attached to the Blood Fleet were being used to transport slaves from planets the Empire had conquered…and burned to a cinder. It was a poor service to the vessels that had carried the Grand Army of the Republic in the Clone Wars and fought for so many. Madakor was glad he could help the ships in his fleet retain some of their lost honor and glory.

The large, grey, and lumpy planetoid called Polis Massa was straight ahead. Once a whole planet, some cataclysm had reduced it to an asteroid field. The largest piece was called Polis Massa Major, which was Madakor's goal.

The four Clone Wars-era vessels accelerated smoothly into the system, avoiding larger asteroids and blasting away smaller ones. The Blood Fleet Acclamators were more powerful than their predecessors, essentially becoming Acclamator-IIIs. They had more power than a Victory-Class Star Destroyer and could take more of a beating. They were also much faster. These powerful warships cleared a path for the larger ships.

Madakor left the ship in his own personalized ARC-170, followed by ARC-1138 and CA-1207 in Eta-2 Actis Interceptors. The Admiral was confident that there was no danger, but just in case anything happened, a crack platoon of clone troopers in LAAT/i Gunships was standing by, ready to help at a moment's notice.

At the last second, Madakor had the platoon join him in the hangar bay. It was probably a decision that saved his life.

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Madakor blasted another rebel in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. He was forced to take cover as the other rebels returned fire. Switchblade continued firing, ignoring the blaster bolts flying past his helmet. Knife Edge was down. Madakor couldn't tell whether the clone was dead or alive.

Suddenly, two LAAT/i Gunships roared into the hangar bay. Precision beam cannon fire scythed through the rebel lines, cutting down ten. Clone troopers rappelled to the floor from black tethers, firing while still in the air. The remaining rebels retreated. Medics tended to Knife Edge, and confirmed that CA-1207 was still alive. Lieutenant Cross, the platoon commander, directed his men to secure and fortify the hangar. Cross then approached Madakor and gave a smart salute. "CT-1334, sir. Are you alright?"

"Yes," said Madakor. "Do you have ship to ship communications, Lieutenant? I need to contact _Bloodshine_."

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Transmit this message: To all available Imperial forces: The 7th Sky Corp is under attack at Polis Massa and requires immediate assistance. You got that?"

"Yes sir. I'll transmit it right away."

34th Platoon drove off three rebel charges, losing only four clone troopers. When the last charge was repulsed, the COM system beeped. Madakor answered it. "This is Admiral Madakor. Who is this?"

"This is the Imperial Star Destroyer _Knightfall_, of the 501st Legion, responding to your distress call."

Madakor nearly laughed with relief. The elite 501st was the only division apart from the 7th that was comprised totally of Fett clones. They had garnered the moniker 'Vader's Fist' for their exemplary actions.

"Admiral, the 501st cannot reinforce you at this time," replied the captain of _Knightfall_. "There is an auto turret grid that is preventing our shuttles from entering the hangars. We need it to be shut down before we can advance."

"Understood," said Madakor. "We will disable the grid. Stand by."

If the rebels had activated an auto turret grid, that meant reinforcements from his task force couldn't arrive, either. That also meant he only had around fifty soldiers available to assault the grid control center. If they stayed together, it was possible to take the control center. But that would mean they'd have to leave the hangar guarded by a squad at most. That would mean a minimum of thirty-six troopers, plus Madakor and Switchblade, putting the grand total of thirty-eight against who knew how many rebels. It would have to do.

"Alright. Squad four will guard the hangar," said Madakor. "Everyone else: we're assaulting the control center. ARC-1138, you're on point."

"Yes sir," replied the clone. He hefted a Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon, then moved out, followed by the others.

Rebel resistance was heavy, but with the combined efforts of Madakor's fighting skills, the clone troopers' better training, and Switchblade's Z-6, they managed to mow down all the rebels in their way…at the cost of five more troopers.

After a brief firefight, they had the control center. "Good job," said the unknown Imperial captain, "Hold out and await reinforcements."

Rebels assaulted the control room several times, making suicidal charges and throwing grenades. Twelve troopers fell, and fourteen were injured. Lieutenant Cross was among the dead.

With only six troopers capable of fighting left, Madakor wondered if he would get off of Polis Massa alive. He banished the thought as he dropped his spent DC-17, swung out his cortosis assassin blades, and neatly sliced off a rebel's head. If he died here, he'd make sure the rebels would remember him.

It was just then, right when things began to look hopeless, that the 501st Legion arrived in the nick of time. The remaining clones with him shouted greetings and encouragements in Basic and even Mando as the stormtroopers blasted the bewildered rebels. Things like "Kandosii, vode!" and "Mirdala!"

Madakor wasn't sure whether the stormtroopers understood—the Mandalorian culture trend during the Clone Wars had not affected the Legion much—but they certainly took courage from it, fighting with even more vigor. Within seconds, the area was secure. A stormtrooper with a white shoulder pauldron saluted Madakor. "Commander Bow reporting, sir. Sorry we're late. We had to fight through an X-Wing fighter screen. Your craft drove them off. We've secured the area and eliminated most of the rebels. The 7th helped with the clean up."

Madakor removed his helmet. "Glad to assist. Oh, and next time: try to be get here earlier."

"Yes, sir."

Once the fighting had died down, Madakor realized how much 34th Platoon had reduced the enemy. By the time the 501st arrived, there were only a few isolated pockets of resistance. Within a few hours, every last rebel had been killed.

It seemed the 501st had followed another lead to Polis Massa. Precisely, the location of the missing Death Star plans. It was a lucky thing for the survivors of 34th Platoon. The 501st, however, had only retrieved part of the missing plans. But, they had managed to trace where the plans were sent. It was to a ship. A red-striped CR-90 corvette. Bail Organa's _Tantive IV_.

**A/N: Well...Do you like it so far?**


	4. Chapter 4: Old Acquaintances

Chapter 4: Old Acquaintances

Admiral Antidar Madakor watched as the Imperial Star Destroyer _Devastator_ chased down the _Tantive IV_. It was pathetic, really; the tiny corvette was firing everything it had at the Star Destroyer, but to no avail. Finally, the corvette was caught in the _Devastator_'s tractor beam. Several escape pods were jettisoned, but they were soon blasted. Curiously, one remained unharmed and continued on toward the surface of the desert planet below.

Madakor scowled. He hated going to Tatooine. For someone used to cool weather on Coruscant, it was torture being on the surface. The last time he was here was when he was looking for leads on a rebel terrorist cell operating in the area. A few bounty hunters, no doubt dispatched by Tyber Zann after the latter had lost the Battle of Eriadu, tried to kill him there, but he killed all seven in the space of three seconds. It did not improve his opinion of the place at all.

Madakor walked back to his office. Here, he could relax for a bit. Captain Switchblade was running the ship just fine, and Lieutenant Knife Edge had recovered fully, so there wasn't much to worry about.

He picked up a holo he'd set on his desk. It was a picture of a woman who could have been his wife, a native of Naboo. They were going to get married on the day the CIS attacked Coruscant, which naturally made them postpone the wedding. After Order 66 went down, she realized what he'd done, and returned to Naboo. He heard afterwards that she was killed when the 501st assaulted Theed. Since then, he hadn't tried getting into a relationship again.

He rested his head on the nice, cool desk. He needed a break; it had been a trying few days. He closed his eyes…

The door of his office slid open. "Sir?" said Lieutenant Switchblade, "We may have found a Jedi. It may not be Kenobi, but the lightsaber color is definitely blue."

Madakor was awake instantly. "Where?"

"Qiilura, in the Tingel Arm."

"Get us there immediately."

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Qiilura was not an abnormal planet by most standards. The only thing abnormal about it was the presence of the Gurlanins, a shape-shifting species native to the planet.

Madakor had gone alone, despite Switchblade's cautioning. IF the Jedi here was indeed Kenobi, he wanted to get him himself. He covered his ARC-170 with camo-tarp and proceeded to the village.

He went into the village bar and found a Weequay named Kota-Nay. He was the one who'd told Switchblade about the lightsaber. Madakor sat in front of him and banged the table on which the drunk thug was sleeping.

The Weequay woke with a jolt. "No, no more fer me, mommy," he mumbled blearily. Then he registered Madakor's helmet on the table. He looked up into the Admiral's eyes and said, "Who're you? Clone trooper guy? But I thought the war's over."

Madakor, in no mood to wait for Kota-Nay to sober up, slapped him full across the face. Something like that hurt a lot more if the one doing the slapping was wearing armor…which he was. Kota-Nay was fully awake now. "Where did you see the blue lightsaber?" asked Madakor.

"I'll tell ya fer a bag o' credits," the Weequay began, but seemed to reconsider when Madakor pressed his DC-15s sidearm against his head. "A coupla miles north. Looked like they was practicing."

"'They'? Who's they?"

"I dunno, I really don't," pleaded the drunkard. "Can ya lemme go?"

But Madakor had already left. He stole a speeder and checked every hut he could find up north. He was about to give up, when he noticed a hut on top of a hill. He hadn't noticed it at first because it blended in with the trees.

The hut seemed empty, but Madakor wanted to check it out just the same. He kicked down the door and went in.

The hut was simple enough: two small bedrooms, a kitchen unit, a low table. But it was something else that astonished him. Set up on a make-shift mannequin was a full set of Katarn armor, the kind worn by Clone Commandos during the Clone Wars. Next to it sat a DC-17m ICWS blaster…and a lightsaber. He bent down to examine the weapon, picked it up…and felt something press against the back of his helmet.

"It's not smart, you know. Breaking and entering someone's house."

Madakor recognized that accent, slightly Jango-ish, but not quite. "You're a clone commando, aren't you?"

"Right on the first shot."

"Why aren't you in the Imperial Army?"

"I served the Republic. Now that's gone, I'm free of any obligations to that government."

Madakor got up and turned around slowly. The face he looked at was exactly the way he'd imagined it to be: an older version of Jango Fett. Madakor had slowed down the aging in his clones in the 7th Sky Corps, but someone else had done the same to this clone. Right now, he didn't care much about that as much as the muzzle of the blaster he was staring into. "Where is Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Even if we knew, we wouldn't tell you." The speaker this time was a woman, apparently in her forties. "As a Jedi, I wouldn't betray my fellows, even if I've left the Order."

Madakor recognized her now. "Etain Tur-Mukan, right?"

"Yes."

"I remember. You left the Order to raise a child."

The woman stiffened. "How would you know that?"

"I was the head of GAR Intelligence and now I'm the head of Imperial Intelligence. It's my job to know secrets."

"You have no right to come here. We just want a peaceful life. We don't fight alongside the Rebellion. We don't pose any danger to the Empire—"

"Yes you do. Your husband is about to shoot me."

Etain sighed. "Lower it, Dar."

He did, grudgingly, but kept his eyes on Madakor. The Admiral kept his hands up as a show of faith.

"Now we don't pose any danger to the Empire. Get out."

"Not until you tell me where Kenobi is."

"I already said we don't know. Why do you want him anyway?"

"I don't want him. Vader does."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why? Is he just another Jedi to kill?"

"No. Kenobi's the reason Vader has to wear that suit."

"He wants revenge. Typical Sith. If only Anakin Skywalker was alive. He'd have killed Vader by now and restored the Republic."

Madakor started to laugh. He couldn't help it; that sentence was so naïve.

"What's so funny you _di'kut_?"

"You don't get it, do you? You Jedi can see the future, but you can't see what's right under your mystical noses. You never noticed Anakin's closeness with the Chancellor? You never noticed who helped Palpatine kill Mace Windu? Aw, don't tell me you didn't notice who led the 501st into the Jedi Temple! Wanna guess?"

Etain's eyes started to widen, but Darman looked at him coldly. "Just say it, you _hutuune_, before I make you say it."

"Anakin Skywalker _is _Darth Vader."

There was stunned silence in the hut. Finally, Darman said, "I don't believe him. He's lying."

"No," said Etain. The expression of anger on her face had been replaced with utter horror.

"What?!" shouted Darman.

"He's not lying. I can't sense any deception from him."

"But…how is this possible?"

"Forget that, Dar," said Etain, focusing on Madakor again. "Why is Vader after Kenobi?"

"Alright, I'll explain it to you once more in detail. Kenobi confronted Skywalker on Mustafar. They fought, and the fight ended with Skywalker losing all of his organic limbs and nearly being burned to death. Kenobi left just before the Emperor arrived and rescued Skywalker and took Anakin's wife, Padme Amidala with him."

"Wait," said Darman, "Skywalker had a _wife_? And she was a Senator?"

Madakor laughed again. "You didn't think Etain was the only Jedi flouting the Jedi rules, did you?"

"Well…yes, we did."

"Great. Anyway, Amidala was later seen dead on Naboo; I attended the funeral myself. Apparently, Vader had seriously injured her on Mustafar. Kenobi had disappeared. And now, I have to find him."

"Does Vader know that you have such an extensive knowledge about his past?"

"Fierfek, no! If he knew that, I'd be dead."

Etain removed Madakor's helmet and studied his face. "I sense no evil in you; no malice. Why do you serve the Empire?"

"I joined up to serve. That's why."

"You joined the _Republic_, not the Empire. You've seen how the Empire is, how tyrannical it is. You should know, since you're an intelligence officer. Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Admiral Antidar Madakor, Head of Imperial Intelligence. I was also head of GAR Intelligence before Order 66 and the rise of the Empire. And I want you to let me go."

Darman raised his blaster again. "We're not going to just let you waltz out of here so you can get another Jedi killed."

Madakor replaced his helmet. "You're not going to let me out of here alive, are you?"

"No."

"You do realize that my subordinate has orders to reduce Qiilura to nothing more than a hunk of glass if I do not return in twelve hours." It wasn't a question. "I don't want to kill an old friend if I can avoid it."

The commando lowered the weapon.

Madakor walked out. "Good day. Oh, and give my regards to Kal Skirata."

Darman and Etain watched as Madakor's ARC-170 soared towards the black-hulled Venator-Class Star Destroyer three thousand meters above. The villagers were panicking, fearing an invasion or worse. Their fears were put to rest, however; the vessel accelerated out of the sky and out of sight.

"He wasn't kidding," said Etain.

"About the possibility of an orbital bombardment?" asked Darman.

Etain shook her head. "About Skywalker. I mean, Vader."

"What do you sense about the Admiral's future?"

"I'm not certain. But one thing's for sure: he has no love for the Emperor. He thinks he's just doing his job. Maybe we should make him see why the Empire is bad. Make him defect to the Rebels."

Darman sighed and put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "That would mean fighting again. I fought ten years for a Republic that never really existed, Etain. I don't want to fight anymore."

"What about the rest of Omega? And Delta? Aren't they still fighting for the Rebellion?"

"They don't have you. They don't have a family."

Etain hugged him.

"And I'm no Jedi, but I think something terrible is going to happen," said Darman. "And maybe that'll change Madakor's mind."

"Maybe."


	5. Chapter 5: The Chase Ends

Chapter 5: The Chase Ends

Captain ARC-1138 'Switchblade' watched as his commanding officer's fighter landed in the hangar bay. As soon as the Admiral had landed, Switchblade gave the order and _Bloodshine_ jumped to Tatooine. "Sir," began the ARC, "did you find a Jedi?"

"No," said Madakor. "Only a fool who'd found one a lightsaber on an old battlefield and decided to play around with it. Ended up cutting off his hand for good measure."

Switchblade dropped his voice down to a low whisper. "Is that the true story, or the official one?"

"The official one."

"Ah. What's the true story, then?"

"Some other time. Right now, I want to know why we're off to Tatooine at such a high speed. Did Vader and the 501st run into a hidden Rebel fleet?"

"No, but someone has made a positive identification of Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Madakor stopped dead. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, sir. A Devaronian called Labria actually took a holo image of him in the Mos Eisley Cantina. He's considerably older, but it's definitely him. Apparently, he goes by the name of 'Ben'."

Madakor examined the holo. "Who are the other three?"

"We don't know who the boy is. The other human is Han Solo, Corellian native, a former Imperial TIE pilot turned smuggler. Very popular among black market circles. The Wookiee with him is called Chewbacca. From what we could tell, Kenobi was arranging for some transport to Alderaan."

"Why?"

"We don't know. Perhaps Kenobi's finally come out of seclusion to openly join the Rebellion. Alderaan is a known hub for Alliance operatives."

They reached the bridge just as the ship exited hyperspace…and just in time to watch several Star Destroyers chasing a battered Corellian YT-1300 freighter. The freighter was on a collision course for _Bloodshine_'s bridge.

"Evasive—"

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Han Solo tried to tune out everything around him: the panicking farmboy, his partner's howls, the constant barrage of turbolaser blasts on the deflector shields. He needed precise coordinates plugged in the navacomputer to get to Alderaan. Finally, he got it. Just when he was about to engage the hyperdrive, however, a black-hulled monstrosity loomed out of nowhere. Time seemed to slow down. A Venator? he thought. I thought all those museum pieces were scrapped. Why is it here? Why is it black? And why in all the Corellian hells is it blocking my way?

"Kriffing rodders," he shouted, yanking the control stick as hard as he could. "Learn how to exit hyperspace properly!"

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"—maneuvers!" finished Madakor as the freighter turned vertical to _Bloodshine_'s dorsal hull, flying between the twin bridges with barely meters to spare. The Venator-Class Star Destroyer continued to dive towards the planet, however; the Imperial-Class vessels that had been chasing the freighter nearly collided with them, something not even the reinforced _Bloodshine_ could withstand; two vessels well over a kilometer long colliding was not a pretty sight.

"Bring her about!" shouted Switchblade. "Follow that freighter and get it within tractor beam range!"

_Bloodshine_'s hull groaned with the stress of the hairpin turn. Madakor could feel the deck plates tremble beneath his feet as the vessel's engines gave it all they had.

"Sir!" shouted the man at OPS, "the freighter's jumped!"

"Fierfek," sighed Switchblade. "I can safely guess who was flying that thing."

"Solo?" said Madakor.

"Yes. That must've been his ship, the _Millennium Falcon_."

"Well, we know where he's headed. Set course for the Alderaan System."

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"Who were those guys?" said Luke Skywalker. "Could they be pirates?"

"I thought so at first too, kid," replied Han Solo. "But I've changed my mind. Any Venator-Class Star Destroyer owned by pirates would be in poor shape because no one really cares about those Clone War hulks anymore. A maneuver like the one they pulled should've torn them apart. No, I think that's an Imperial ship. And that means it's probably part of the Blood Fleet."

"What?" asked Luke.

"Some Imperial Admiral got all sentimental about the Old Republic ships and took them under his wing. Upgraded them, too. I think he's the only guy besides Vader who commands a stormtrooper division made up of Jango clones."

"Jango?"

"His son is Boba Fett. It figures the man would go in his father's footsteps."

Luke turned to the old man standing behind him. "I guess that brought back a lot of memories, huh Ben?"

Kenobi smiled. "You could say so, but if I remember correctly no Republic ship was ever black. Red and white: the colors of the Republic, and of democracy. It may just prove that we have a potential ally in this Admiral who hungers for the old days of the Republic."

"No, I don't think so," said Solo. "My smuggling contacts say that the Blood Fleet's connected to Imperial Intelligence. It seems that trouble follows you like a plague, old man. Why do they want you, anyway?"

Kenobi just smiled. "I'm a Jedi, captain. They don't want _me_, they just want me _dead_."

"Huh. Tough luck, pal."

"There's no such thing as luck, as far as I know."

"There's no such thing as the _Force_, as far as I know. And I know a lot."

Kenobi's smile grew wider. "That statement shows how little you know, my friend."

Solo didn't reply, but his expression prompted Chewbacca to laugh. The Corellian glared at him. "Laugh it up, furball; you're not exactly a big brain yourself."

"Rrrrrrraaaaaaaaarrrrrn!" was the reply.

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Madakor paced back and forth impatiently. "Are we gaining on them?" he asked.

"No sir," said the helmsman, "but we are keeping pace with them. When they exit hyperspace, we'll be right behind them. Speaking of that: we're coming up on Alderaan."

"All hands," said Switchblade, "prepare for hyperspace exit. Tractor beam personnel at your stations. Squads Alpha through Gamma, prepare for boarding action in starboard hangar bay."

"Exiting hyperspace in three, two, one, mark."

Right then all hell broke loose.

Asteroids pummeled the hull. The deck shook violently. "What the hell is going on?" shouted Madakor. "Full power to shields! Helm, get us out of this asteroid field!"

"Sir," said the man at OPS, "We've found the _Falcon_! They're chasing a TIE fighter!"

"Follow them," said Madakor. He turned to Switchblade. "I don't recall an asteroid field being here. Where is Alderaan?"

"It…" The ARC paused. "It's been blown away."

Madakor gaped. "What? No fleet in the entire galaxy…" he trailed off, remembering a structure he had only seen in schematics, the size and shape of a small moon…just like the one the Corellian freighter was headed towards. "The Death Star," he whispered.

"The Death Star?"

"It was only a concept when they told me about it. A prototype Separatist weapon that never got beyond the drawing board; they called it the Ultimate Weapon. We'd confiscated it from the wreckage of _Invisible Hand_."

"I remember," said Switchblade. "Apparently, it had a superlaser which had enough firepower—"

"—to destroy an entire planet," Madakor finished. "I was against the creation of it from the beginning." He stared at the moon, which he realized wasn't really a moon. "It seems Grand Moff Tarkin went ahead with the project and decided not to tell me about it. Sneaky _di'kut_."

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Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin glanced up as Admiral Madakor entered, clad in full armor. "Admiral Madakor," he said, "what a pleasant surprise. How do you like the newest and most powerful addition to the Imperial fleet?"

"Later," said Madakor. Right now he didn't want to talk about this monstrosity he was on, nor did he very much care about military protocol at the moment; he'd neglected to address Tarkin as 'sir'. "Are you aware that Obi-Wan Kenobi is on this ship?"

Tarkin's eyes widened. "Preposterous! How?"

"He arrived on that Corellian freighter that your people just towed in."

"But that ship was empty," said Tarkin.

"No," said a deep voice behind Madakor. "The Admiral is correct." Vader stood there, dark and menacing as always.

"Are you sure Vader?" asked Tarkin to the black-clad figure.

"Obi-Wan _is_ here. The Force is with him."

Tarkin stood up. "Then he should not be allowed to escape."

"Escape is not his plan. I will deal with him myself." Vader turned to Madakor. "You have done the Empire a great service Admiral. It will not be forgotten." With that, he swept from the room.

Madakor watched as the black robes disappeared. "He likes to deal with a lot of things himself, doesn't he?"

"Careful Admiral," said Tarkin. "With your task complete, you are no longer valuable to the Emperor."

"There are still Jedi to track down."

"Even if there are Jedi still alive, which I seriously doubt, they pose no threat to the Empire."

"One person can make all the difference," retorted Madakor.

"You know, Admiral, you sound remarkably like a Rebel."

"Have you ever seen what a single ARC trooper can do? And they're not even Force-sensitive."

Tarkin tapped the desk several times. "This station is now the ultimate power in the galaxy. Any attack on it, whether led by Jedi or not, would be absolutely futile."

Madakor stared at him, his anger increasing. "You know Tarkin, I have to congratulate you on keeping the construction a secret from me; no mean feat, since I'm head of Imperial Intelligence. What I don't understand is why exactly you had to destroy an entire planet!"

"They were all Rebel scum," said Tarkin dismissively.

"And women! And children! Do you have any idea how many Imperial officers hail from Alderaan? You face a very real threat of massive mutiny, and no number of assassinations or murders or purges in the military will eliminate that threat."

"Insignificant," said Tarkin, though he looked a little worried now.

"That's a pile of _osik_, and you know it. You've just created a whole army of enemies Tarkin, all just to destroy a minor Rebel base. If someone manages to kill you, I'd personally shake his hand. Good day. I'm going back to my ship."

And before Tarkin could do anything else, Madakor was gone.

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Madakor went through the battle station's immense corridors, going towards the docking bay where an LAAT/i gunship and twenty of his best clone assassins waited for him. He was sure Tarkin wouldn't attempt to have him killed, but it never hurt to be too careful considering the tendency of Imperial officers to figuratively—and sometimes literally—stab each other in the back.

He suddenly realized he was lost, but continued onwards anyway. It might do some good to explore the battle station. He hadn't gone far when he heard a noise he hadn't heard in a long time: the clashing of lightsabers.

He set off at a run. It seemed that Vader had found Kenobi at last.

Madakor rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. Right in front of him, Darth Vader dueled with a very old Obi-Wan Kenobi at the entrance to a hangar bay. Despite his age, Kenobi held his own against his former apprentice. Old age in the Jedi and extensive prosthetics in Vader hindered both their movements; this fight was nowhere near as spectacular as their duel on Mustafar. Finally Kenobi started to give way, backing towards the hangar bay.

Beyond the entrance stood a squad of stormtroopers, watching the battle, unsure whether to assist Vader or not. And beyond them, four figures and a blue astromech took advantage of the Imperial troops' momentary distraction to board a Corellian freighter. One however, a boy with sand gold hair, paused for a second and stared at Kenobi with pure disbelief.

"Ben?" whispered the youth.

Right then, Kenobi looked at the boy, smiled…and lowered his guard. On purpose.

Vader didn't hesitate, and swung.

Madakor watched in amazement as Kenobi simply vanished, leaving only a burnt brown robe and his lightsaber behind.

"NO!"

The youth had shouted. Vader paid no heed; he nudged Kenobi's empty robes with his boot, unsure what exactly had happened. The stormtroopers whirled around and started firing. The boy stood defiantly firing back at full auto, blasting several troopers and forcing others to duck. Madakor took cover behind a corner as red bolts flew past his helmet. Someone inside the freighter shouted, "Blast the doors, kid!" The boy complied and raced back inside the freighter. As Vader and Madakor went towards the ship, the blast doors closed. A trooper stuck on their side went to work on the control panel, but Madakor knew the freighter would escape.

Vader stared at the doors for a few moments, then at the robes on the floor. The blood-red blade of his lightsaber vanished, and he picked up Kenobi's weapon. "In recognition of your service and loyalty to the Empire," he said, putting the weapon in Madakor's gauntlet. "Your task is complete." He looked behind Madakor, and Madakor turned and saw Tarkin striding towards them.

"What is going on, Vader?" the Moff demanded. "Why did you allow them to escape? They have the plans!"

"I have installed a beacon on their vessel," said Vader. "With any luck, they will lead us to the Rebels' hidden base."

"Which should be on Yavin," said Madakor. "All the evidence I've collected points that way."

"Well Admiral," said Tarkin, "we will see whether you are correct." He turned to Vader. "You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship? I'm taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work."

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	6. Chapter 6: Battle of Yavin IV

Chapter 6: The Battle of Yavin IV

Madakor watched the holo map of the surrounding systems. A red line traced the path of the _Millennium Falcon _all the way from the Death Star to the gas giant Yavin. Closer analysis showed that the freighter's path terminated at the planet's fourth moon. The Death Star was headed there now, and Madakor gathered the Blood Fleet and followed. There was no chance against the Death Star. No capital ship in the galaxy had enough fire power to destroy it. Only fighters had a chance to evade the thousands of turbolaser batteries. But what damage could they do?

Madakor called up the schematics of the Death Star. Analysis of the plans showed that the Geonosians had many flaws in the original set, which were rectified by Imperial scientists. But Madakor had a hunch that there was one weakness at least; human imperfection made that very possible.

"Switchblade," he said, "do you see anything in these schematics that may be a potential weakness in the Death Star?"

The ARC examined the data closely. Orun Wa, the Kaminoan scientist in charge of the ARC series of clones, had lied to Jango Fett and Kal Skirata about the number of Nulls that had survived incubation. Kal had taken six under his wing, never knowing that a seventh existed. That seventh was Switchblade. Madakor had taken the ARC to be trained in the art of Teras Kasi, to prepare for Order 66. He had originally been called N-12, but Madakor had changed that to ARC-1138 to hide his true identity. Like the other Nulls, Switchblade was a very quick thinker and had an eidetic memory. And he could spot a weak point in any structure ever built, a side effect of learning to spot a good infiltration point.

"It's not the least penetrable station," said the ARC slowly, "but it comes very close to that definition. Those designers knew what they were doing. But they weren't thorough enough. See here, sir?" He pointed at a part of the station.

Madakor leaned in closer. "It…it looks like a thermal exhaust port."

"Yes sir. Its ray shielded, but that's no problem for proton torpedoes."

"Like the ones the Rebels' X-Wings use, correct?"

"Exactly. As you can see sir, the Rebels have a very good chance of winning, unless the Death Star scrambles all its fighters."

Madakor shook his head. "No, I doubt they'd do that. Imperial morons like Tarkin don't think fighters are any good. At most, they'd field one squadron. And the Rebels would slaughter them. I've seen how good those X-Wing pilots are."

"Should we alert Tarkin?"

Madakor sighed. "I suppose so, but I doubt he'd take us seriously." He tapped his desk, deep in thought, looking at the picture of the woman he had never stopped loving.

"If I may ask, sir," said Switchblade, "who is that woman?"

Madakor paused before answering. "My fiancé. She was a native of Naboo. And she happened to be one of the Queen's handmaidens and personal bodyguards."

"What was her name?"

"Sabé. She'd happened to be Queen Amidala's decoy during the Trade Federation Crisis. I was on a mission to Ohma-D'un, one of Naboo's water moons after the Seperatist commanders Durge and Ventress unleashed a bio-plague that killed most of the Gungans who'd colonized it. I stayed at the Naboo palace overnight and happened across her in a hallway. She thought I was an assassin."

"Why would she think that?"

"I wore civilian clothing and carried a DC-15S carbine under my left shoulder; no one but Palpatine and a few others knew I existed. She tried to punch me. I caught her fist, but she elbowed me in the face instead; my jaw still hurts just thinking about it. After we settled our differences, we dated for a while and finally got engaged a week before the Seps attacked Coruscant." Madakor paused again. "I told her about my role in Order 66, hoping she'd understand. I thought she did, but I was alone the next morning. Later I heard she'd taken up guard duties for Queen Apailana. She was killed when the 501st assaulted Theed." Madakor looked up sharply. "Why are you so interested?"

Switchblade removed his helmet and looked slightly embarrassed. "I…I just wanted to know what its like to be…normal. A non-clone. Like you." He waited a long time before asking, "What was it like to fall in love, sir?"

Madakor didn't answer, but stared at Sabé's picture.

"I'm sorry sir," said Switchblade. He had almost exited when Madakor finally answered.

"It was unlike anything I'd ever known. There was no way to expect it. It was like a piece of me had been missing for a long time, and I didn't notice until she came and completed me. Now that she's gone, I feel emptier than before." The admiral turned away, and the clone could have sworn he saw a tear. "Wake me when we reach Yavin, Captain. There are matters I want to discuss with all of the senior officers."

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"Yes, yes!" shouted Madakor. "There is a potential weakness!"

The Imperial officer merely looked like he was talking to a brain-dead Weequay. "We will analyze the data, sir. Rest assured, there is no weakness." And before Madakor could tell him to transfer his call to Tarkin, the connection was cut.

Madakor was infuriated. Not only had Tarkin ordered him not to engage, he had ignored him outright. Very well then. If that was what he wanted, Madakor decided he wouldn't stand in the way. "Switchblade, are all the senior officers in the conference room?"

"Yes sir."

"Come with me, then."

The conference room was filled with captains, lieutenants and lieutenant commanders. Some were clones, some were not, and all were very confused. Commander Cody sat next to Madakor's seat at the head of the table, clearly waiting for an explanation. Madakor took his seat, and Switchblade sat on his left. He took a breath and switched on the intership COM; he wanted everyone in the Blood Fleet to see and hear everything.

"As you all know, Grand Moff Tarkin has ordered the Blood Fleet not to engage the Rebels, despite the danger he has put his crew in. Some of you may find what I'm about to say as mutinous, but I beg you to hear me out before you arrest me. We have served the Empire faithfully for many years, finding and eliminating traitors and enemies of the Emperor. We have not received what was due for our loyalty. They saddled me with outdated vessels for my part in Order 66, but I turned the tables on them and made these vessels the most feared Imperial fleet besides Vader's Death Squadron. Time and again they have killed innocents when there was no need to. They consider us less than useful servants of a corrupt Empire. For that, we are shunned.

"There may be ones among you who have supposedly lost family at the hands of the Rebels. I have investigated every one of these incidents, and I've found that they were all Imperial plots to gain your loyalty and use your unique talents for Imperial gains and not your own." He looked down, raised his head again and continued. "I lost the only woman I loved when the 501st assaulted Theed. Your pain is familiar to me. But I do not think we should continue to serve an Empire that is undoubtedly tyrannical and corrupt.

"I do not wish to join the Rebellion. I only wish to separate ourselves from the Empire so we can lead our lives the way we couldn't under the Empire." He looked at every man in the room in the eye. "You may arrest me or kill me. But I will die a free man and not a stooge of the Empire."

There was total silence. Then Lieutenant Commander Janek Sunber aimed his blaster at Madakor's forehead. "Commander Cody sir," he said, "please put Admiral Madakor under arrest."

Cody didn't move. But when Sunber flicked off the blaster pistol's safety, he jumped up… and stood in front of Madakor. "Stand down, Lieutenant Commander."

Sunber did not move. "I cannot allow this treason, sir. It is for the good of the Empire."

"There is no _good_ in the Empire. Stand down, Sunber."

Sunber did not move, expecting the support of his fellow officers. But another captain pulled his blaster on the lieutenant commander. "You heard Commander Cody. Stand down."

Slowly, the rest of the officers followed suit. Sunber finally lowered his weapon, and Switchblade motioned to two clone troopers to take him to the brig.

"No," said Madakor. "Let him go. Give Lieutenant Commander Sunber a hyperdrive-capable vessel. You're a good officer Sunber, and I understand where your loyalties lie, but if I see you again, I may have to kill you. I'm sorry."

Sunber looked at the floor. "So am I, sir. So am I."

After Sunber left, the captain who had pulled his blaster on Sunber said, "What do we do now, sir? Where do we make our stand? The Empire won't just allow us to break away without a fight."

"You're right," said Madakor, "they won't. We'll take over Eriadu. We've become heroes there, thanks to our defeat of Tyber Zann. And anti-Imperial feelings have been growing there recently."

Cody looked thoughtful. "Eriadu has several Hypervelocity Cannons on the surface, and few places where the Empire can land troops. We can easily secure those landing sites and protect the power generators."

"What about taking over Eriadu?" asked Lieutenant CA-1207 'Knife Edge'. "We'll face the same difficulties; few landing sites, Hypervelocity Cannons, and the Sector Governor's own troops."

"No one but us knows that we've broken off from the Empire," said Madakor. "We'll play the good Imperials at first. _Bloodshine_, _Intervention_ and _Integrity_ will jump out of hyperspace close to the planet, while the rest of the fleet stays at the edge of the system. Commander Cody will lead the rest of the fleet from _Guarlara_. We will disguise our visit as a routine inspection run while Switchblade and the Clone Assassins sabotage the Hypervelocity Cannons. When Switchblade gives the all clear, _Integrity _will jam their communications. 34th and 74th Platoons from _Bloodshine_ and 45th and 23rd Platoons from _Intervention_ will secure the main landing zones near Eriadu City and damage, but not destroy, the anti-aircraft, anti-infantry and anti-vehicle turrets; we'll need those later. Cody will then bring in the fleet and the rest of the 7th Sky Corp will land in force and secure Eriadu City. After that, taking the other main cities, namely Phelar and Old Town Factoryville will be easy. The entire planet will be put under martial law."

"Martial law?" said a lieutenant. "But why?"

"Although the majority of the populace supports us, many people are fiercely loyal to the Empire. They will need to be arrested. It's a step I hate to take, but I have to put pragmatism before my own feelings."

"It sounds like a good plan," said the unknown captain. "But if Commander Cody is leading the ground assault, Captain Switchblade is leading the sabotage mission, and you sir are in Eriadu City, who will be leading the fleet in the meantime?"

Madakor smiled. "What's your name, captain?"

"Evan Hessler, sir, but my real name is Reymet Autem. My father was hunted by the Empire, so I enrolled to infiltrate it from the inside."

"I remember. Your father was Sagoro Autem."

"Yes sir."

"Well then, Captain Autem: you will be in tactical command of the fleet when we take Eriadu. Welcome aboard _Bloodshine_."

Autem looked stunned. "Th—thank you sir."

"What about the Death Star?" said someone.

"I have already planned for that eventuality," said Madakor. "The Death Star has a thermal exhaust port that is vulnerable to proton torpedoes. A single torpedo down that port will trigger a chain reaction that will destroy the Death Star. But, I believe the Rebels will beat us to it since they have the plans. I am very sure they will destroy the Death Star. Even if they don't, we know how to beat them."

"Do you really think the Rebels can defeat the Empire?"

"Never doubt that a small group of determined individuals can shape the galaxy," replied Madakor. "Indeed, it is the only thing that has. That is why I believe we will succeed in separating ourselves from the Empire. And that is the reason I believe the Rebellion will win this conflict."

Suddenly, the COM crackled. _"Sir,"_ said the man at OPS, _"The Rebels are breaking off their attack on the Death Star!"_

"On screen!" said Madakor. He hadn't even realized the Rebels were attacking the battle station. As he and the rest of the fleet watched, the Rebel fighters scattered and flew as far as possible from the Death Star. It entered firing range…and exploded.

The room erupted into cheers and celebration. Now that they were rebels themselves, the men and women in the Blood Fleet knew how the Rebellion felt. It was a glorious day for the forces of good. And for Madakor it was very good luck. With the Death Star destroyed, many top Imperial officers were killed, Tarkin included. The Imperial Navy would be in disarray. It would take them several days, maybe a week before they would know about Madakor's takeover of Eriadu. And that would be more than Madakor needed to prepare the defenses. Operation: Insurrection would go as planned. And if the Imperials decided to kill him, he would go down a free man.

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	7. Chapter 7: Insurrection

Chapter 7: Insurrection

Madakor sat stock still in the LAAT/i's troop bay. He was, of course, nervous that the Eriaduans might spot the cloaked transport that Switchblade was using to bypass the planets defenses. The LAAT/s (the 's' being for stealth) could not be detected by electronic surveillance, but could be seen with the naked eye. It was originally designed for Republic Commando insertions prior to the end of the Clone Wars. However, there were no strange communications from the planet's security, so the sabotage team had probable made it.

Acting as his CO for this trip was Lieutenant ARC-1442 'Miles', an Alpha ARC trooper turned bounty hunter whom Madakor had recently taken in and inducted back into the role of ARC. Miles was not as experienced or skilled as Switchblade, but was nonetheless a formidable soldier and a capable officer. The only downside to his character was a thinly veiled disrespect to anyone who didn't have military or at least police experience.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked the ARC.

"ARC-1138 is a very capable officer and soldier, as are those he is leading. I have full confidence in his abilities," replied Madakor.

Miles shook his head. "I'm sure he'll successfully sabotage the power generators, sir; us ARCs never fail. I'm not sure whether Governor Tarkin will fall for this. And there's the Phelarion Planetary Guard to consider."

Shayla Paige-Tarkin was a middle aged woman who had been Governor of Eriadu and the Seswenna Sector since the Clone Wars and an ardent supporter of Palpatine. She was a relative of the late Moff Tarkin and his wife Lady Tarkin. Lady Tarkin resided on Phelarion, another planet in the Seswenna Sector. She happened to be a fanatical supporter of the Empire's policies and a legion of equally fanatical stormtroopers guarded the planet. In orbit, twelve Victory MkII-Class Star Destroyers and six Imperial-II Class Star Destroyers lead by a Titan-Class Star cruiser added to the planet's defenses.

"I know, but we'll have Eriadu under our control before the PPG even realizes what's happened," said Madakor. "After that, we'll assault Phelarion in force: a simultaneous space and ground assault. We'll have a few Acclamators and Venators bombard the PPG barracks from orbit."

"You've discussed this with Commander Cody?"

"He knows the entire plan. We'll have the entire Seswenna Sector in under two days if everything goes to plan."

"And it will?"

"I hope so," said Madakor. "You can't rely on everything to go exactly the way you want it to."

The LAAT/i landed smoothly on the landing pad of Governor Shayla Paige-Tarkin's estate. Madakor stepped off, followed by Miles and six ARCs disguised as 7th Sky Corp clone troopers. This squad, led by Miles, was known amongst the members of the Blood Fleet as the Seven of the Seventh. They cut a very imposing figure against the stark white of the ten stormtroopers of Governor Tarkin's entourage.

Tarkin smiled, and the smile instantly reminded Madakor of the late Moff whose body parts were probably in orbit around Yavin. "Welcome to Eriadu, Admiral Madakor. To what do we owe this great honor?"

"Just a routine inspection run," said Madakor, surreptitiously analyzing her facial expressions. _She has no idea, but she's suspicious_. "We don't want a repeat of the Zann Consortium's…visit, do we?"

"Indeed not."

"I fear I intrude upon your hospitality."

"Not at all. You are most welcome here on Eriadu, Admiral, particularly in light of your heroic actions on our behalf." She motioned to an assistant, who came forward meekly, face hidden by a hood. "Arwa here is my servant. She will see to your needs. I am afraid I am too busy to entertain you." She turned to the servant. "See that our guests are properly attended to." The governor strode away, accompanied by the stormtroopers.

The servant removed her hood, and Madakor was startled by the scaly green, yet extremely beautiful face.

The servant was a young female Falleen.

The Admiral's mind raced. _The Falleen have a grudge against the Empire: why would she work for them? Is she a slave? Does Tarkin want her to use her pheromones on me to try and find out what I'm up to?_ It wouldn't be a waste of her abilities; Falleen could use their pheromones to create a passionate desire in whomever they wished to seduce or otherwise control. Madakor had seen the Falleen crime lord Xizor seduce more than one female Imperial officer for his own entertainment.

"Admiral," said Arwa, "If I may, I will show you your room."

Madakor nodded. Miles and the Seven followed for a distance, but Arwa said that soldiers had to stay in the barracks. It would be a setback, but Madakor was confident that the ARCs could compensate. He, on the other hand…he did not know whether he could resist the Falleen woman's pheromones. If she managed to overpower him, she could make him do anything.

Madakor decided that if she tried using her pheromones, he'd kill her.

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"34th Platoon, check in," said Lieutenant CT-1552 'Li'. He waited silently as the members of the platoon sounded off in his helmet ear piece. "CT-4544, sitrep."

"_CT-4544 here. Anti-air guns silent and secure."_

"Good. CT-7657, sitrep."

"_CT-7657 here. Anti-infantry turrets silenced."_

"CT-9806, sitrep."

"_CT-9806 here. Heavy turrets secure."_

"CT-6776, sitrep."

"_CT-6776 reporting. Setting up E-Web turrets and watching perimeter. All clear."_

"Excellent work, troopers." He contacted Switchblade. "Captain, guns have been secured and 74th Platoon has control of LZ Alpha. Awaiting further orders."

On the same channel, another Lieutenant, the commander of Beta Company, contacted Switchblade. _"Captain: area secure, and so are the guns. Awaiting further orders."_

Switchblade contacted Cody immediately. _"Bandit One to Big Red Two: Move in"_

On the edge of the system, just over two hundred ships ignited their engines and steamed toward Eriadu, carrying over a million clone troopers, six thousand LAAT/i gunships, over three thousand AT-TEs, more than two thousand SPHA walkers, nearly twenty thousand speeder bikes and other equipment: a massive invasion force. Li could see it coming in his mind's eye. _The sooner the better; I don't want to be caught out here with just a company._ Just as he thought this, a squad of four stormtroopers appeared, apparently on patrol. One of them noticed the activity and the stormtroopers marched towards him.

"Fierfek," muttered Li. "Alpha Company, stay sharp: incoming stormies. Do not, repeat, do _not _fire unless I give the order." He contacted Switchblade immediately. "Captain, we have a problem. A couple of stormies noticed us. Routine patrol, I'm afraid. Orders?"

"_Fierfek," _said Switchblade. _"Take the_ _hutuune out if you have to, but _keep it quiet_. Otherwise, this will go downhill very fast."_

"Affirmative. CT-1552 out." He motioned to his squad. "Take them out. Vibroblades only, and make sure they don't make any noise."

The troopers subtly took out their combat knives. Clone Commandos had a vibroblade installed in their left gauntlet, but if you wanted to throw something sharp, that wasn't always reliable. After all, one couldn't detach one's arm and chuck it, unless you were a droid.

The lead stormtrooper saluted. "TK-132, sir. No disrespect intended, but what are you doing?" He glanced off…and noticed CT-6776's squad setting up the E-Web heavy turrets. "What the—"

Li jammed his blade upwards, ending TK-132's career quite abruptly.

The other stormtroopers were frozen with shock. Then one of them realized that their squad leader had a knife sticking out of his neck, and raised his DLT-20A blaster rifle. But right then, Li's squad struck, killing all three stormtroopers in a matter of seconds.

Not one of the stormtroopers had uttered a sound.

"Hide the bodies," said Li. "It might be night time, but their di'kutla white armor is too visible."

The clones obeyed, dragging the bodies off into some bushes, covering them with leaves and branches, and wiping the blood off their armor. Li noticed his right gauntlet was covered in the unfortunate TK-132's blood, and wiped it off. Right then, his helmet comlink crackled, and CT-6776's anxious voice hissed in his ear the worst possible news he could've gotten.

"_CT-6776 here, sir. Perimeter guards make out a full company of stormies headed this way, sir. That patrol you wasted must've put out an alert."_

"Osik…alright Alpha Company, heads up: hostiles incoming. Change ROE to fire at will."

The quiet night lit up as blue and red blaster bolts split the soft silence.

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Inside the power generator housing, Captain ARC-1138 could hear the commotion in his ear piece, and he let loose a stream of curses that startled the clone assassins with him. "Bandit One to Big Red Two: Code Blue! Code Blue!"

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Onboard _Guarlara_, Cody's lips thinned as he listened to the now frantic Switchblade, the only indication that he was very worried. If he launched the attack now, the first wave of troops wouldn't have enough orbital support for ten minutes—a lifetime for soldiers under fire. If he waited until the Blood Fleet had achieved orbital positions…Alpha company would most likely be destroyed by Imperial reinforcements.

He switched on the intership comlink. "All vessels, launch the first wave now. I repeat, launch the first wave."

LAAT/is and LAAT/cs streamed toward Eriadu, escorted by hundreds of Eta-2 Actis Interceptors.

"Sir!" said the trooper at OPS, "Incoming Imperial vessels! Two Imperial-Class Star Destroyers." He paused. "Incoming transmission."

"Patch it through, and jam their long range communications."

The face he saw in the holotank was the generic Imperial officer. _"Stand down and cease this invasion, traitors!"_

"Sorry. No can do. Have a lovely stay in hell." Cody turned to the weapons officer. "Fire SPHA!"

"Firing!"

Ten other Venators followed suit, and eleven beams of pure energy lanced from their ventral hangars, slicing through layers of armor. The beams had targeted both of the ships' bridges. Both vessels listed, dead in space. The other vessels in the Blood Fleet fired as well, turning the Imperial ships into burned hulks.

"All vessels, continue toward objective," said Cody. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all. "OPS, keep an eye on the PPG fleet."

Cody's thoughts, surprisingly, were on Kenobi, his old General and one of the few friends he'd managed to make. He regretted firing on the Jedi, and hoped that he'd died a quick and painless death.

"This one's for you, General Kenobi," he whispered. "I hope you'll forgive me."

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Madakor whirled around, as did Arwa. They could both hear the distant sounds of blaster fire, and the lights had just gone out. _That's it_, he thought. _I'm outta here_. He drew out a Verpine shatter gun—small, handy, but most importantly, silent and deadly—and said to the Falleen, "I'm sorry sweetheart, but I've got to dash." But before he could raise the pistol, Arwa caught his arm. It was a surprisingly strong grip.

"You don't want to kill me," she said. "You want to do whatever I tell you to."

_Fierfek. Damned pheromones. _ "I…stop that…you…"

She was much too close. Her face was close to his, and he saw her eyes were a deep, cool purple. Her lips brushed his ear. "Drop the weapon." Her voice was like liquid honey.

His brain said _no! _but his arms obeyed without question. He couldn't fight it. The Verp clattered on the floor.

"Don't you want me?" she said, brushing her lips against his, putting his hands on her waist. "You know you do." She put him against the wall and kissed him fiercely. "You can have me if you tell your men to surrender."

Madakor, to his own surprise, kissed her back just as fiercely. "Oh, yes…" _What the _hell_ am I doing! Stop! Stop! _But his body wouldn't respond. Desire started breaking through his mental barriers, and suddenly he wanted her, wanted her so badly that he was willing to do anything for her.

All of a sudden, the desire was gone, like a curtain being lifted. Madakor blinked, shook his head… and saw Arwa dead on the floor, a knife stuck in her back.

"Sorry sir," said ARC-1442. "But there's no time for getting it on."

"Miles!" said Madakor. "Thank Providence you got here!" And he was thankful. Had Miles not arrived, he probably would've obeyed Arwa's order to surrender. The ARC had saved the entire operation.

"Actually sir, you should thank me. I'm sorry to do this, but I regret to inform you that you are a di'kut. You should've killed her the moment you were alone."

"Believe me, I tried," said Madakor, picking up the Verp, "but she was quicker than I expected. Her weapon didn't need a holster. Mine did."

"Oh well, that's the least of our problems. Alpha Company was forced to initiate hard contact and lost us the element of surprise. Commander Cody had to destroy two Imp Star Destroyers, and he launched the first attack wave ahead of schedule. Good new is, _Integrity _let loose a load of grief on the local barracks in the form of an orbital bombardment. If anything's survived that, they're not happy but not much of a threat either. My squad's grounded their armor and air support and blew the power grid—"

"—which explains the black out."

"Right. So now the city's in complete chaos. Plus, we jammed or destroyed their com relays, so none of the surrounding cities nor the rest of the Empire knows what's happening here. Short range communiqués back and forth between the enemy patrols, wondering what the fierfek is going on. They have zero coordination."

"Good," said Madakor. Miles had indeed saved the operation. "So now our priority is to assist Alpha Company."

"Yep. Let's do it."

"Wait, I need my armor."

"Sorry sir, but there's no time for that, either. Take my spare Deece instead, but I think your Verp'll do the job just fine." The ARC glanced at the dead Falleen. "My, but she _is _kinda sexy, isn't she?"

_ARCs_, thought Madakor. _Completely unpredictable_.

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	8. Chapter 8 Insurrection Part II

Chapter 8: Insurrection Part II

Admiral Jeven Kasery was not known for his tactical genius. He had been put in command of the Phelarion Planetary Guard Fleet solely on his total devotion to the Tarkin family and the Emperor. He completely supported the Vader type of discipline on his ship, killing anyone who he deemed insubordinate, and saw clones as cannon fodder inferior to 'normal' humans. Because of this, he frequently came in conflict with the views of fellow Admiral Antidar Madakor. Kasery would have had him killed too, but he knew Madakor was favored by the Emperor himself, effectively granting the Head of Imperial Intelligence complete immunity from what Kasery saw as divine justice—namely his own. Kasery feared him as well; rumors that Madakor had killed a Jedi during Order 66 had spread quickly through the ranks.

All this said, Kasery was not a fool. He was shrewd and slightly paranoid, and he had caught several Rebel operatives. Even if that was more luck than skill, few Rebels dared to venture to Phelarion.

So when a large fleet of black-hulled red-trimmed Clone Wars-era vessels advanced on Phelarion, he took it for granted that this might be a threat.

"Alert the fleet and go to battle stations," said Kasery.

"But sir," said the captain, "there's nothing to fear. They're fellow Imper—"

Kasery calmly pulled out his pistol and shot the captain in the face. Without being prompted, two stormtroopers dragged the body off the bridge of the Titan-Class Star Cruiser.

"Incoming transmission, sir," said another officer.

"Patch it through."

The blue transparent hologram of Admiral Madakor appeared. _"Hello there, Kasery. Why is your fleet in battle formation?"_

Kasery bristled. "The proper response is 'Greetings', not 'Hello there'. Why have _you _brought your entire fleet?"

"_The Rebels are stepping up their attacks, idiot. Since you _are _the head of the PPG, I would've assumed you knew that."_

"How dare you mock me in front of my crew?!"

"_Not that it matters, because you're going to die anyway."_

"WHAT?!!"

"_The Death Star has been destroyed by the Rebels, Kasery. You have failed to protect Grand Moff Tarkin. He is dead."_

Kasery's heart nearly stopped. "But…but…"

"_The Emperor is not pleased with you, Kasery. He has charged me to destroy the PPG for their lack of competence."_

Kasery, a formidable man, a man who had killed countless dozens, fell to his knees and wept. "Please…please…you must understand…I'll do anything…you _must _understand!"

"_I understand that you are groveling. A mark of shame in the Imperial Navy. Either surrender, or kill yourself and save us the trouble."_

Without even pausing to think, Kasery put the blaster pistol to his head.

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Switchblade cut the transmission just as Kasery pulled the trigger. "I must say," said the ARC, "he acted exactly the way you said he would."

Madakor chuckled. "It was easy, really. I just focused on his fanaticism and used it against him." No, he didn't feel bad about driving this particular man to suicide at all. "Transmit the surrender order."

"Transmitting," said Lieutenant ARC-1442. Miles had taken Knife Edge's place as Switchblade's second in command again, due to Knife Edge's loss of blood in the aftermath of subjugating Eriadu. "But I still think we should just burn all of them."

"We're not Imperials anymore, Miles."

"But _they_ are, and they're the PPG. Once they find out exactly what's going on, the fighting will be horrendous. Our casualties will be high."

Switchblade nodded. "The lieutenant is right, sir. We can't afford to take the risk of a massive prison break if we arrest them. If we eliminate them now, we'll take Phelarion with relatively fewer casualties."

Madakor sighed. "I'm afraid to say it Switchblade, but you're both right. I was planning on that eventuality anyway and came to the same conclusion. We will advance into their ranks and position the Acclamators over the PPG stormtrooper barracks. The Venators will keep their SPHA cannons trained on their ships. When I give the code Green, fire on the barracks and the fleet at the same time. Understood?"

"Yes sir," came a chorus of replies.

The Venators drifted into the midst of the PPG fleet now reeling from the suicide of their commanding officer. Assault ships edged closer to the planet, quietly releasing a cloud of transports that surrounded them like bees around a hive. They would stay there until Madakor gave the code Yellow. Then they would swarm upon Phelarion.

"Sir?" said Miles, giving the admiral an inquiring look. "If you want to give the order, the time is now."

Madakor hesitated, reluctant to give a command that would end hundreds of lives.

"Sir—"

"Do it. Code Green and Code Yellow: execute."

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On the planet's surface, standing on a landing pad, Lieutenant Janek Sunber desperately tried to get through to Lady Tarkin. "My lady, Admiral Madakor has committed treason! He is no doubt preparing to attack! You must believe me!"

"Give me proof!" said the woman. "I will not believe that such a high ranking officer would commit such an act without proof! And what's this nonsense about the Rebels destroying the Death Star?"

Sunber saw a black hulled Acclamator of the Blood Fleet settle into position 3000 meters above the local PPG barracks. Time was running out. "I saw it with my own eyes! There's no time, my lady, we must alert the troops!"

"I told you I need proof!"

It was right then that the assault vessel let loose a blinding volley of turbolaser fire directly on the barracks. The ground quaked, and Lady Tarkin stumbled. Sunber fell on his back, and saw countless LAAT/is, LAAT/cs and LAAT/vs roar out of the sky, escorted by V-Wings and ARC-170s.

Three LAAT/is landed right on the landing pad, and at least a platoon of clone troopers jumped out. Sunber recognized the one in the lead: Commander Cody. The _kama _around his waist and the distinctive visor cover gave him away.

Stormtroopers opened fire. The clone troopers of the 7th, created from a superior genome and with twice as much experience, took better cover positions and streams of blue plasma hammered the Imperial troops. As more LAAT variants landed all over the city, Cody walked towards Lady Tarkin and Sunber.

Sunber drew his blaster pistol and fired. Cody sidestepped, and the bolt harmlessly chipped his shoulder guard. In the same movement, Cody grabbed Sunber's gun hand, twisted, and forced the pistol to clatter to the floor. With a _shick! _sound he ejected his gauntlet-mounted vibroblade and held it to Sunber's throat. "You're all under arrest in the name of the New Republic," said Cody. "Further resistance will be met with deadly force. As of right now, Phelarion and the rest of the Seswenna Sector is now under the jurisdiction of the New Republic and its interim leader, Admiral Antidar Madakor."

Sunber glanced at Lady Tarkin. "You have enough proof now?"

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It was day three of the campaign, and Madakor was back in his bunk again, suffering from lack of sleep and battle fatigue. Although the surprise attacks on the first day had taken the Empire completely by surprise, smaller covert elements like the Storm Commandos were harassing the 7th especially on Phelarion. Both Tarkins and Sunber had been imprisoned, but a dedicated Storm Commando team had rescued them and absconded with them to the nearest Empire controlled planet, Abregado-Rae. The Tartan Patrol Cruiser _Diadem_ had managed to damage their hyperdrive, which gave Madakor a few days for preparation against Imperial retribution.

A knock on the door prompted Madakor to wake up, and he buzzed his visitor in. "Hello Miles," he said. "How are we doing?"

The ARC removed his helmet to reveal a relieved smile. "We've eliminated all pockets of Imperial resistance, sir. Captain Switchblade is still organizing the clean up. Several Rebel sympathizers have been put in control of the planets, and civilian unrest has turned into complete support for the New Republic."

"What's the total number of casualties?"

Miles put his helmet back on. "Forty-three dead, two hundred wounded. All fighters, bombers, transports and ships have been accounted for and retrieved safely, as well as all the ground vehicles. Seeing as most of those casualties occurred as a result of that near-disaster on Eriadu, I'd say this is a victory."

Madakor gave him a sad smile. "I wouldn't say victory just yet. Now we have to consolidate our control of this sector. It may be in the Outer Rim, but the Empire won't be happy about our taking it. The Blood Fleet is formidable," he said, running a hand over a model of _Bloodshine_ sitting on the small table next to his bed, "But we won't be able to withstand the might of the Empire without more ships and personnel."

"I agree." He was silent for a few seconds, then said, "So does Captain Switchblade and the Commander."

Madakor had forgotten about the com system the clones shared, a little world of sorts. "How is Knife Edge? CA-1207?"

Miles was silent again. "He's fit for duty, sir."

"I want both of you to connect to your underworld contacts: see if you can raise anyone who'd like to support us."

"What about the Rebellion?"

"I just heard that what's left of the 501st made a successful retaliatory strike on Yavin IV. The Rebellion is in a weak position now. They can only run. If they join us and we fall, they fall as well. No Rebellion assistance."

Miles cocked his head quizzically. "What do you mean, 'what's left of the 501st'?"

Madakor sighed. "It seems a large part of their forces were still on the Death Star when it blew. Half of those who'd managed to escape were killed by the explosion. Only a quarter of the original 501st are still operational." He shook his head. "Poor, brave lads."

"Poor lads," echoed Miles. "But that's the cost of war. So, no Rebellion contacts."

"Not one. Maybe our old enemies can help."

"Who?"

"The remnants of the CIS."

Miles shook his head. "I'm not sure that'll go over well with the lads in the 7th. Fierfek, I'm repulsed at the idea of working with tinnies."

"So am I, but we share a common enemy: the Empire. The Empire's humanocentrist views have alienated other species."

"Like those of the CIS."

"Exactly. I don't think we can rely on the Neimodians—cowardly scumbags, the lot of them—but the Geonosians might be helpful, as would the Quarren and the Mon Calamari."

"I thought the Mon Cals were helping the Rebellion."

Madakor shook his head. "Not all of them. Then there are the humans on Jabiim—"

"—I rather doubt they'll welcome us with open arms. Maybe blasters, but not a hug."

"Good point."

"Blame it on Anakin Skywalker—"

"And Jabiimi narrow-mindedness. Who else…?"

Miles hesitated. "What about…"

Madakor eyed him sharply. "Who?"

"Well…"

"Come on; you're an ARC for Providence's sake, not a boy asking me if he could date my daughter. Spit it out."

"…the Consortium?"

"Absolutely not."

"They have access to unique and powerful ships, not to mention extensive influence in the black market."

"First off: I hate Tyber Zann and would like to strangle him with his digestive tract. Second: Black Sun is more powerful than the Consortium, _and _they're affiliated with the Empire. If Zann joins us, Black Sun will torpedo the Consortium and possibly us as well."

"Okay, no Consortium. What about Rendili? Their fleet has several Dreadnaughts. Old, but pretty strong nonetheless."

"Good idea. CIS and Rendili. Not much, but it should be enough. Get going; I'll supervise the operations here. Take care, and may the Force be with you."

Miles saluted smartly. "Same to you sir. Goodbye."

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	9. Chapter 9: Social Calls

Chapter 9: Social Calls

Lieutenant ARC-1442 'Miles' couldn't be recognized as an ARC anymore; he was back in his Mandalorian armor, his old suit that he wore during his career as a bounty hunter. It was a beautiful set of armor: blueish-gray with gold trim and a black bodysuit underneath. His Verpine pistol, as well as the Verpine rifle he cradled in his arms, indicated how successful he had been at bounty hunting. People noticed him and respected him for that. But he could never be compared to the greatest Mandalorian bounty hunter, Boba Fett, and he knew it. The one time he met the famous hunter, however, had resulted in a new friendship of sorts. Both had, after all, the same father.

He was sitting in his ship, a heavily reconditioned Theta-Class T-2c shuttle, trying hard to contact a certain Null-Class ARC. Finally, the clone known as Ordo Skirata answered.

"_Whoever this is," _grumbled Ordo, _"you'd better have a bloody good reason for calling me in the middle of the night."_

"Stop whining, Ordo. It's me, Miles. Besides, you don't sound that sleepy to me."

A short pause. _"Besany is with me. That's why I'm awake."_

"Who?"

"_My wife."_

"Oh," said Miles, finally comprehending that he hadn't interrupted Ordo's sleep, but rather another night-time activity. "_Oh_."

"_Yeah. Oh."_

"Sorry vode, but I need to talk with you now. You remember I rejoined the Empire, right?"

"_Yes, and I remember telling you how you were a bloody di'kut for doing it."_

"Me too.Well now my superior, Admiral Antidar Madakor, has defected from the Empire and he's setting up a New Republic in the Seswenna Sector."

"_Now, that _is _something."_

"We need help, though. We don't have the manpower to hold off the Empire, and—"

"—you want to know whether my brothers and I want to join the party."

"Well, that saved me some trouble. Will you?"

"_We're bored without anything to do. Count us in."_

"How's Kal'Buir?"

"_Teaching the only Force-sensitive Mandalorian warrior in the Galaxy the tricks of the trade somewhere on Mandalore."_

"That's not what I asked."

"_He's getting old, and he doesn't hunt anymore. You could get a hold of Kast; he's old enough to start fighting."_

"I'll keep that in mind. It's good to see you again, Ordo."

"_Great. Get off the di'kutla com; I've got things to do."_

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Kal Skirata was indeed old. He had finally given up hunting at the age of seventy-two, and his grandson Kast Skirata had already gained himself a reputation. It was Kal that Miles saw first, sitting on the porch of his small house.

"Su'cuy, Kal'Buir," said Miles, removing his helmet.

Kal smiled. "Another old face! Good to see you Miles."

Miles sat down, noting that a blaster was taped under Skirata's chair in easy reach. "How can you tell us apart?"

Kal winked. "I might be old, ad'ika, but my eyes are still sharp." He frowned. "But I'm definitely not fit to fight anymore."

"So Ordo told you?"

"Yeah."

"Kast is definitely old enough."

Skirata shook his head. "I'd love to make him go to Eriadu, but I don't want to force him to go without his parents' consent."

"Etain and Darman won't let him go. You know that."

"Yeah."

"He's old enough to make his own choices."

"And old enough to know not to carry that lightsaber around, too," said Kal suddenly, looking behind Miles.

A young man clad in Mandalorian armor bounded towards them, helmet in hand and a happy expression on his face. He looked more like Etain, but had his father's stride and expressions. This had to be Kast Skirata, the son of Darman and Etain.

"Another successful bounty, Ba'buir Kal! He tried to struggle, so I had to punch out the di'kut."

Kal glared, but Miles could tell he was pleased. "That's fine. What I'm saying is why are you carrying around that lightsaber? You're a Mando'ade, not Jetii."

Kast's smile faltered, but only a bit. "I'm both." He held out his hand, and Miles' helmet floated from its resting position into the ARC's hands. "Besides, I want to try my hand at war. I'll go with Miles."

Kal was shocked. "How the fierfek did you know about that?"

Kast shrugged. "I was listening nearby." He laughed. "I'll go get my things from my ship, Miles." He bounded off again.

Kal shook his head. "As silent as a Gurlanin, he is. Just as deadly too."

"Good talent," said Miles. "Do you know where Jusik might be?"

Kal looked askance. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Poor Bard'ika was killed. Fett killed him on orders from Darth Vader. I only heard about it after Ordo told me about your situation. Jaing told me it happened last week."

"Fierfek," breathed Miles. "So, Fett's turned out to be a hutuun after all."

"No. He's Dar'manda; no longer Mandalorian. He takes orders from the Empire now."

Miles looked at him. "Kal, I promise you this: After this, I'll hunt down Fett and kill him."

Kal didn't say anything. Finally he said, "Jaing visited the scene. All the evidence was that Jusik put up a good fight. He died a good death."

"I hope so."

Kast came back. "Let's go, Miles." He was carrying a large load of kit, including a Trandoshan LJ-50 concussion rifle.

"Inherited your mother's taste, have you? Put it in that shuttle over there."

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Knife Edge stared down at the Rendili Fleet commander, Horman Yago. "You have a chance to declare your freedom," said the clone assassin. "Why not assist us?"

Yago, though a good head shorter than Knife Edge, stared back with equal intensity. "Why should we? What happens if you fail? What happens when the Empire notices we have a few ships missing?"

"I doubt they'd notice that; control of the Seswenna Sector means Madakor controls most of the Outer Rim through influence alone. Eriadu's long range communications were jammed before we took it, as were every other planet in that sector. That means that as far as the Empire is concerned, the Seswenna Sector is still Imperial."

"I see. So they wouldn't notice, say, ten missing Dreadnaughts out of a thousand?"

"Not at first glance, no."

"Ten it is. I hope I don't regret this."

Knife Edge saluted smartly. "You won't, sir. Thank you, and good-bye."

"Good luck son," replied Yago. "May the force be with you."

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"A chance to fight the Empire?" gurgled the Geonosian whose name Knife Edge had given up trying to pronounce. "Very tempting. Very tempting indeed."

"Yes, very tempting," said the Quarren representative dismissively "But what happens if the Empire wins?"

"If you join us," said Knife Edge, "they won't."

"How can you be sure of that?" asked the Mon Calamari representative. "Battles are not always influenced by numbers." He tapped his large cranium. "They're influenced by this."

"And Admiral Madakor is a very smart commander," said the clone. "Taking an entire sector in less than three days is remarkable in my book."

"You've made your point. We will gather any working CIS battleships available, as well as battle droids. However, the most we can lend are fifteen ships; the Empire destroyed many."

"That's good enough for me," said Knife Edge. "We'll get more from the Zann Consortium."

The Mon Calamari looked at him quizzically. "I thought your superior told you not to deal with Zann."

"My superior isn't infallible. Zann is the only one who has the capacity to shell out enough credits to get powerful ships."

"True enough. A fleet of fifteen Seperatist ships under Commander Merai will meet you at Eriadu."

Knife Edge cocked his head quizzically. "I thought Merai was killed when the Seps attacked Kamino."

"He had a son. I'm his uncle."

"Oh. Well, in that case I'm off to Ryloth." He keyed the door open, then looked back. "Don't go back on our deal, sir. You will regret it."

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Miles, Knife Edge and Kast met at the Ryloth Spaceport. All three men were momentarily distracted by the number of vivid blue female Twi'leks being herded onto a freighter.

"Slavers," hissed Kast, and drew his lightsaber.

Miles put his hand gently on the young man's arm. "Not here, and not now."

"But it's wrong! Slavery is wrong!"

"Keep your voice down. I know it is wrong, but we have other things to do. One crusade at a time, son."

Kast reluctantly put the lightsaber back, but he stared at the slave master with hateful intensity. The slave master, seeing a Mandalorian warrior giving him a funny look, walked up to him with an electroshocker baton raised. Obviously, this man had not dealt with Mandalorians before.

"What are you looking at, sonny?" sneered the slaver. He was either gutsy or just plain stupid.

Kast didn't answer, but put the hilt of the lightsaber right under the man's jaw. He didn't activate it; he just held it there. "You should go back to your business."

"Yeah…I'll do that." The man ran as fast as his legs could go.

Miles sniggered appreciatively. "Used the Force, did you?"

"No. Didn't need to." He put the lightsaber away. "Where are we going on this Force-forsaken planet anyway?"

"Tyber Zann's hidden palace," said Knife Edge.

"Do people always call you 'Knife Edge'?"

"You can call me Edge," said the clone assassin.

"Catchy." He removed a custom-made blaster rifle from its holster. Miles recognized the base design as coming from an Imperial E-11 carbine. "But why are all three of us going?"

"Madakor doesn't trust Zann," said Miles, "and with good reason. Although Edge and I believe our greatest help can come from Zann, we need a little extra insurance to get out alive if negotiations go bad. Facing two Mandalorians, one of whom is Force-sensitive, and a Clone Assassin, will make him think twice about treachery."

"Makes sense, I guess. But do you know where Zann's palace is?"

"Yep," said Edge. "I found it myself. Admiral Madakor was about to attack when the Death Star blew up. Then he changed his mind and defected."

"Lucky for Zann. But if things do go wrong, are we going to run out of here on foot?"

"Cheeky di'kut," said Miles, but couldn't help smiling. _The boy's sharp_. "I've got three BARC speeder bikes in the ship. We'll use those."

"And if things do go wrong," said Edge, "my R4 unit will fly my Eta-2 and give us air cover."

"Great, tinnie air support," said Kast. "Let's get going."

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Zann hid a smirk as he gazed upon the odd trio. It would not do to antagonize guests, especially guests who were perfect copies of the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter. And judging by the lightsaber hanging from the young one's belt, he was no pushover either.

The clones held their helmets exactly the same way, tucked neatly under their left arm. One was clad in what seemed to be modified ARC trooper armor with blades on his arms; a clone assassin. The other was dressed in crisp clean blueish-gray gold-trimmed Mandalorian armor peppered with small but ornate sigils, the armor being nearly a work of art on its own.

The young one was dressed in sand-gold Mandalorian armor. It fit him well enough, but it was clear to Zann's sharp eyes that it had been another person's property. The boy had had it resized. An heirloom, perhaps. He kept his helmet on, hand resting casually on the hilt of the lightsaber.

These were hard men, dangerous men. However, Zann wasn't unduly worried. He dealt with dangerous beings all the time. And he knew they would have tried to kill him if Madakor had ordered them to. His lieutenant Urai Fen was a very skilled warrior, but Zann doubted that even the ancient Talortai warrior could handle two Mandalorians and a clone assassin. No, this was a business meeting, however much it looked otherwise. And he was interested.

"Welcome to Ryloth," said the crime lord. "I am Tyber Zann."

"We figured that much for ourselves," said the clone in blueish gray.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" asked Zann, pretending as if he hadn't heard.

"I'm Miles. This is Edge, and the young one is Kast Skirata."

"I assume you didn't drop by for uj cake and caf…?"

Miles stepped forward. "I'll keep this plain and simple, and I'll say this only once, so pay attention or you might blink and miss it. You've heard about the action in the Seswenna Sector, I assume?"

"Yes indeed. Very amusing, like watching an Imperial being hit by his own electroshocker baton."

"Yeah, whatever. We need help to beat back the Imperial counter-attack, and we need personnel and ships. We're asking you to assist us in this matter."

"Interesting," repeated Zann. "Does Madakor know you're asking?"

"Even Madakor is prone to mistakes."

"Hmm. A wise clone. What do I get out of this?"

"Reduced Imperial activity in the Outer Rim, and the promise that we won't hunt you down and slit your throat if you try to attack or steal from us."

Zann looked thoughtful. They had, after all found his hidden palace. If Madakor lost, one of them could be made to talk, and both the Empire and the Hutt Cartel would crush the Consortium. On the other hand, with the Empire out of the way, he could focus his efforts on the Cartel and expand his own empire. He could deal with Madakor on his own time.

"I'll accept your offer, but I want something in return."

"Name it."

"Open trade between us and the New Republic, cessation of hostilities between the Republic and the Consortium, and a guarantee that you will not side with the Hutt Cartel or Black Sun."

"We'll accept…if you deliver."

Zann smiled. "I see. You want me to come to Eriadu and state my demands to Madakor himself."

"Yes. If he likes what you have, he'll accept your demands."

Zann smiled, thinking of a trio of very interesting craft he had just stolen in perfect condition. "Oh, I think he'll love what I have."

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	10. Chapter 10: Mind Games

Chapter 10: Mind Games

Admiral Madakor watched on his datapad as the new reinforcement vessels took up positions in the defense formation in orbit above Eriadu. Instead of spreading his forces between Phelarion and Eriadu, he'd placed only two super battle droid companies on Phelarion and ordered the rest of his forces to dig in on Eriadu. That way, even if the Empire took Phelarion, New Republic forces could retake it after the battle was over.

He now had two hundred and thirty-five vessels, the largest fleet in the Outer Rim in twenty years. Passion and tension was running high, and the civilian population was restless. He had to address the issue soon.

He spotted Miles, Edge and another Mandalorian warrior waiting for him in his office. "You've done well, both of you," said Madakor. "Who is this?"

The young man extended his arm and Madakor took it. It was a firm grip. "Kast Skirata at your service, sir."

Madakor eyed the lightsaber hanging conspicuously from Kast's belt. "You must be the son of Darman and Etain Skirata."

"Yes sir."

"I suppose you came of your own volition?"

"Yes sir."

Madakor nodded. "Good. A man your age should make his own decisions. You came to fight for us." It wasn't a question.

"Yes sir."

"Then you'll fight with Miles and his squad. You take orders from him. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

Madakor smiled slightly. "You already sound like a soldier. You'll do fine, son. Go to Captain Gerning at Outpost 2; he'll tell you what barracks to go to. It's essential that you get some rest before the battle, or you'll be a danger to others and yourself. Understood?" 

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

Madakor gave him a tight salute, which was promptly returned. "You're dismissed, Corporal Skirata."

"Sir!" responded the young man. He jogged out.

He turned to the two clones. "That goes for you two as well. Get some rest. Dismissed."

"Sir!" The two clones left, passing Commander Cody and Commander Merai on the way in.

"Sir," said Merai, "my fleet is in position. The battle droids have been placed at LZ Alpha and Beta and the coastlines just as you ordered them."

"Good," said Madakor. "Report to the media room and await me there."

"Yes sir," said the Mon Calamari. He left, and Cody spoke up.

"The fleet's formed up, sir," said Cody. "Recon flights haven't seen any sign of Imperial vessels yet, sir. However, our spies have sent word that a large Imperial fleet is headed towards the Seswenna Sector. They assume that around four hundred enemy ships are in this fleet."

"Who's the commanding officer?"

"Someone named Thrawn. I've never heard of him before."

"I have," said Madakor. "Not much though. He's Chiss. Brilliant strategist. He was involved in the Outbound Flight Incident, way before the Clone Wars. He decimated a superior Trade Federation armada with only a few, outdated picket vessels. He's somewhat the Empire's dirty little secret; an alien in the Navy is totally against the Empire's humanocentrist policies. But his brilliance is unmatched." He shook his head. "This could be a problem."

"The Hypervelocity Cannons will negate their numerical superiority," said Cody.

"Didn't you hear me? Numbers aren't a problem for him."

"How does he fight so well?"

"He analyzes the art of his enemies' species. Strange, I know, but he's never been wrong."

Cody said, "We may have an advantage, then."

"How?"

"You are human, and you're brilliant too. I'm a clone, so we have no art for him to analyze. Merai is Mon Calamari and just as smart as his father. There are Geonosians, Twi'leks, Quarren, and other officers of assorted species. It's a mix of races; he'll have a hard time analyzing everything."

Madakor nodded, understanding. "Clones would pose a serious problem for him, especially Jango clones. He hasn't encountered them before. You guys have cultures and subcultures you've established and absorbed over the years. He can't possibly compensate for them all."

"Which puts you both on a somewhat equal footing."

"No, not really. But it helps a lot." He looked at himself in a nearby mirror. His armor was in place, in perfect condition. He picked up his helmet. "Let's go; I have a galaxy to address."

66 66 66

Madakor strode into the room, and all the officers snapped to attention. They formed up behind him, with Cody on his right and Merai on his left. Madakor pressed a button on the desk in front of him, and the view of the room was transmitted to every HoloNews station in the Empire and beyond. Across the galaxy, people watched in astonishment as Madakor gave his speech.

"As some of you may know, I, Admiral Antidar Madakor, have broken off from the Empire and established a New Republic free of any tyranny and corruption in the Seswenna Sector. Even as I speak, an Imperial fleet bears down on us, intent on suppressing us. They may defeat us or be defeated themselves, but they will ultimately lose, because while their objective is to destroy us, their ultimate goal is to destroy freedom. Freedom is an idea, and ideas cannot be destroyed. No Imperial force, of any size, can destroy freedom no matter how hard they try, because tyrants everywhere create their own enemies. What will happen here must and will be remembered. This battle, this fight for freedom, will echo for eternity, and our actions will be carved in history.

"To my soldiers and officers: it has been an honor and a privilege to have you under command, my brothers and sisters in arms. Dieing by your side will be the greatest glory I can hope to achieve. I am immensely proud of you all, especially my vode of the 7th Sky Corp. Remember, we are soldiers, sworn to protect this New Republic at any cost, and you have followed and held to that oath in a way no Imperial ever could. Dismissed, and may the Force be with us all."

Across the Seswenna Sector, clones, officers and civilians responded with a huge standing ovation. Rebels who came across the holo feed and independent systems hostile to the Empire joined in. Even Tyber Zann, on his way to Eriadu with his gift to the cause, clapped his hands. Not since the formation of the Rebel Alliance had anyone openly defied the Empire like this. Admiral Thrawn, sitting on the bridge of his ship the _Admoniter_, gave a small respectful nod to a man he deemed a worthy foe. And Janek Sunber, now acting captain on a Victory II-Class Star Destroyer, started wondering whether staying with the Empire was the right choice.

Madakor tapped a few buttons, and the feed was reduced to only the Seswenna Sector. "To the brave citizens of the New Republic: The battle that is coming will have far-reaching damage and cause much pain and suffering to us all. Transport vessels are prepared to take all those who wish to avoid the battle, and I strongly urge especially mothers, children and the elderly to leave. These vessels will take you to the Hapes Consortium, with whom I have brokered a deal. Anyone else who wishes to assist us will be given a temporary commission in either the Army of the New Republic or the New Republic Navy according to their background and expertise. Those with combat experience are preferred, but we will accept those whom we deem fit to fight, both men and women. I bid good luck to you all, and may the Force be with you."

Naturally, this resulted in another joyous uproar. However, Madakor had finished with his speech. It was just as well, because Captain Switchblade appeared, obviously frantic.

"Sir! Sir!"

"What is it?" asked Madakor.

"Three unknown vessels inbound!"

"Imperial?"

"No, but…"

"But what?" asked Madakor, beginning to get irritated.

"They're…well…huge!"

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"You have got to be kidding me," said Madakor.

"Fierfek," breathed Cody, obviously in agreement with the Admiral.

There were two Legacy-Class Star Destroyers, both 1800 meters long, held position in front of the fleet. It was the vessel they were flanking, however, that caught everyone's attention.

"A Mandator II-Class Star Dreadnaught, sir," said Cody. "19000 meters long, covered in gun batteries of every type. Only two have ever been built. I know that _Pride of the Core_ is at Kuat. This must be _Apocalypta_."

A holo of Tyber Zann appeared, and Madakor instantly blew his cool. "I really don't have time for this, you chakaar!"

"_Please, stay calm, Admiral,"_ said Zann. _"Let me introduce these lovely vessels. That Legacy-Class on my portside is _Leviathan_, the other Legacy-Class is _Gargantuan_, and the one I'm on is aptly named _Apocalypta_."_

"If you're trying to intimidate me, it's not working."

"_Oh, no. These vessels are my gift to your cause."_

"Thanks. What's the catch?"

"_One: you don't attack my Consortium. Two: you don't side with Black Sun, the Hutt Cartel, or the Empire against us. Three: I'd like to have open trade between the Consortium and your new Republic."_

"Trade of what?"

"_Oh, this and that." _

"Please specify," growled Madakor. "I have an Imperial armada coming down on me and I'm in no mood for playing games."

"_Simple matters, really. Raw industrial material of all types. I understand this will take a few months, maybe years, but if the Empire is gone, it will be worth the wait."_

Madakor didn't have time. "OK, you have a deal."

"_Good. Also, did you know that _Apocalypta _has a Spaarti Cloning Factory? I was surprised to find 70,000 clone troopers in stasis, plus a whole lot of vehicles. A small army, in fact. These soldiers should help you crew this vessel, but you will need a lot of people to crew the other two."_

"I'll manage."

"_Forgive me if I don't share your optimistic appraisal of the situation. I've put too much stake in this gamble to lose it. Some of my best men will assist. They are former members of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Imperial Navy, so they are familiar with the ships' systems."_

Madakor's eyes narrowed. "Why are you helping us?"

"_The enemy of my enemy is my friend. An old saying. Now, if you don't mind, I will leave."_

"Wait," said Madakor, but the transmission cut out. Seconds later, a shuttle left the _Apocalypta_ and jumped into hyperspace. He turned towards Cody. "Have squads sweep the vessels and secure them. Let the Consortium men stay at their stations, but attach disabling bombs on their reactors and weapon arrays. If they try anything underhanded, blow them and let them drift."

"Very good, sir," said Cody. He issued the orders, and asked Madakor, "If they are what Zann says they are, then won't you go on _Apocalypta_?"

"Why?"

"She is the most powerful vessel in the fleet, after all. It is your duty to be on her."

Madakor nodded slowly. "Captain Autem!"

The young officer snapped to attention. "Sir!"

"You are being transferred to _Guarlara_, and as of right now you are the commanding officer on that vessel. Get on a shuttle and report to your new command."

"Sir! Yes sir!" Autem left the bridge, while Cody looked at Madakor for an explanation.

"You are the second-highest ranking officer in the Blood Fleet," said Madakor. "_Bloodshine _has been the flagship of this fleet for a long time. If I'm going to command the fleet from _Apocalypta_, I want _Bloodshine _to be under the command of my second officer. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Sir," said a clone, "Scouts have reported contact at extreme range. Drive profiles match those of Imperial-Class Star Destroyers. Estimated number of vessels: ten."

"ETA?" said Madakor.

"Approximately one standard hour before they hit the edge of the system. Four hours until they reach firing range."

"Shall we engage?" asked Cody.

"No," replied Madakor. "We'll remain where we are. Have the scouts shadow the enemy advance force from a safe distance. I want regular updates on their progress."

"Yes sir."

"As of right now, you are the commanding officer on this vessel. Assemble Group Beta in a low orbit at this position at _this_ exact time. I will take Group Alpha and hide half on the dark side of Phelarion. The rest will form up behind _Apocalypta _in a dipping-crane formation."

"Very good, sir."

The dipping-crane was a tactic used since delta-shaped capital ships were in existence. The vessels would 'dip' their bows 'downward' to bring all their main guns to bear. It was a very basic tactic, but it was a very devastating tactic as well. Madakor found that, often, simple was the best. The vessels of Group Beta would be positioned in such a way that, when the Imperial force finally arrived, they would not be seen. When the Imperials reached firing range, Group Beta would have orbited around Eriadu enough to bring all _their _guns to bear. The Imperials would take heavy fire from both sides, which meant that their shields would be down and they'd probably sustain heavy damage. Then the planetary Hypervelocity Cannons would finish off the weakened vessels.

The strategy would certainly account for several vessels, but it could only work once. After that, the battle would be won or lost by the skills of the individual pilots, gunners and officers.

"Sir," said the OPS clone, "Incoming Imperial vessels. Right behind the advance group. Well around four hundred vessels, and all have capital ship drive profiles."

"I guess we'll have to report to our stations," said Madakor. He clasped Cody's gauntlet and gave it a brief shake. "May the Force be with you, old friend."

Cody returned the gesture. "Same to you, sir. I hope to see you soon." He snapped a tight salute, which was promptly returned. Then Madakor turned, walked out and didn't look back.

There was a battle coming up, and there was still work to do.

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	11. Chapter 11: The Wrath of the Empire

Chapter 11: The Wrath of the Empire

RECON SQUADRON GAMMA TO FLEET OPS: IMPERIAL FLEET INCOMING. ENCOUNTERING FIRE FROM ENEMY FIGHTERS. FALLING BACK TO GROUP ALPHA'S POSITION. VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF THREE HUNDRED ENEMY VESSELS. REPEAT, THREE HUNDRED ENEMY VESSELS. SEVERAL INTERDICTOR-CLASS VESSELS INCLUDED. ADVISE THAT FLEET PREPARE FOR HOSTILE ACTION.

**Recon Squad Gamma, on scouting mission, Seswenna Sector, Eriadu System **

Admiral Thrawn sat in his command chair on the bridge of the _Admonitor_. His second in command, Captain Gilad Pelleaon, was standing at ease, watching what appeared to be a constellation of stars; Admiral Madakor's Blood Fleet. Only Thrawn could tell that Pelleaon was uneasy, a result of working together for several years. He was probably hesitant to engage Madakor, a feeling Thrawn had shared as well.

"Have you encountered him before?" asked Pelleaon suddenly.

"Yes, a long time ago. A strange fellow."

"How so?"

Thrawn thought for a moment. "He's somewhat an enigma. All sorts of personalities—kind, ruthless, arrogant, humble—all rolled into one package. He likes his actual personality to remain a mystery, I think. He's a consummate actor."

"Really?"

"He defies Vader openly and lives, dares to break off from the Empire, and yet helps the early Empire to hunt down the last of the Jedi. Very unusual."

"How will you fight him?"

"I don't really know. I don't understand him. And that gives him an advantage."

"Sir," said the officer at Tactical (TAC), "visual on the enemy formation."

Thrawn studied the image. "Hm. For all his brilliance, Madakor is woefully simple. The Interdictors will come in useful, as I predicted."

Pelleaon seemed wary. "If we do as you ask, we shall lose many Interdictors as well."

"Have faith, Captain," said Thrawn. "'If' is not adequate enough to dissuade me. If I couldn't win this fight, I would not have come." He motioned to the officer at the COM station. "Open a channel to Madakor. Let's see if he realizes that he will not win."

"Channel open, sir," replied the officer. "They've picked up the line."

A blue grainy hologram of a man in black armor appeared. "This is Admiral Thrawn," said the Chiss officer. "I would like to speak to Admiral Antidar Madakor."

_"Speaking." _

"I did not know you wore armor."

_"Then you're a liar, Thrawn. You've met me before. You don't have to give me any 'false hopes' that you don't know how to fight me." _

Thrawn missed the insult. "So you are willing to surrender?"

_"Not on your life." _

"It is the life of your crew and your officers that you should be worried about. The Emperor has issued a death sentence against you, but he may spare your people."

_"Clearly you don't know my people." _

"So that's a 'no', then?"

_"If you have terms, let's hear them." _

"I thought you won't surrender."

_"Humor me." _

Thrawn smiled. _He's defiant. I'll see if I can work that to my advantage._ "There are none, only complete submission to the Empire. If you don't you will be wiped off the face of the galaxy. No one will remember your name, or what you did. Even the name of Antidar Madakor will be a capital offense. In time, no one will know you even existed at all."

_"Oh, yes they will. The galaxy will remember that free beings dared to stand against a tyrant, that a few stood against many. Even if you do wipe us out, you'll never really win. The Empire was founded on the blood of the innocent, and it will never have peace, ever. Empires inevitably fall. All that really matters is 'when'." _

"I enjoyed this conversation. We should talk more on your way to your execution."

_"Sure. If you win."_ The transmission cut out.

Thrawn chuckled. "He's told me more than he realizes about his strategy."

Pelleaon looked doubtful. "I don't—"

"He said 'empires inevitably fall', and 'all that matters is when'. He never planned on going on the attack. He just wants to dig in and wait."

"For what? The Empire to fall? Even if he is right, it won't happen anytime soon."

Thrawn chuckled again. "Some people have a lot of patience, Captain. As I was saying before, he is digging in. He has no place to run, no fallback positions, no plan B. He's decided to make his stand here." He called up a holo map of the Seswenna Sector. "Take a hundred Star Destroyers and set up a perimeter around this area. If they do try to escape, destroy them. No prisoners."

"But what about the battle?" said Pelleaon. "I'm not to partake in it?"

"Sorry, old friend. If something goes wrong, you are my plan B. Even if I'm forced to retreat, they should be weak enough for you to finish off."

Pelleaon saluted…with lacking enthusiasm. "Yes sir. I shall report to my station immediately."

66 66 66

Madakor ran his hand along the railing surrounding the command platform of _Apocalypta_. The holographic views of the surrounding space and the tactical screens of the ships in the system flickered as his fingers crossed the holo emitters set in the rail. It was a clean, well-maintained bridge, reflecting the state of the rest of the vessel. The clones brought out of stasis had been confused for a bit about the state of the galaxy, but attended their stations with a quiet enthusiasm and dedication. The Mandator II-Class Star Dreadnaught would, under ideal circumstances, have had a crew of well around three thousand. Of course, circumstances were rarely ideal, especially now, so Madakor had to give orders directly to the AI that controlled the unmanned systems. It was a curse and a blessing; Madakor had to handle more stress, but it also gave him great control in battle. Theoretically.

Madakor wondered why the Imperials had brought Interdictors. The vessels' gravity fields could prevent hyperspace jumps, but the vessels themselves could not hold against even an Acclamator.

He put it out of his mind. As his teacher, Admiral Adar Tallon had once told him, "Don't think about the possible until it becomes actual, or you'll find yourself very confused. That spells 'death' in combat". He'd wait and see what the Interdictors were for.

"Sir," said a clone, "the enemy is closing in on us. They'll be in firing range in thirty seconds."

"Good," said Madakor. "Cody, are you ready?"

_"Ready, sir."_

"Switchblade, are the planetary guns and the troops in place?"

_"Yes sir." _

"Enemy closing in!" said the clone trooper. "Ten seconds…nine…eight…seven…six…"

"All power to shields," said Madakor.

"…three…two…mark! Enemy vessels firing! Brace for impact!"

The Imperial Star Destroyers fired. A tidal wave of annihilating green energy slammed into Group Alpha. Shields overloaded and failed; some ships sustained minor damage.

But the fleet was completely intact.

Cody's voice floated through the com. _"Firing!" _

At the same time, Madakor shouted "Fire!"

Multicolored bolts of energy, proton and concussion torpedoes hit the Imperials head on. Shields flickered and faded, and plumes of ignited atmosphere burst through rents in the hulls.

Switchblade's voice broke through. _"Hypervelocity cannons firing!" _

Super-high-velocity metal slugs tore through space, ripping through ships with downed shields. Imperial vessels listed and burned, colliding with each other.

"Fire!" Madakor said again.

Groups Alpha and Beta fired again. Volleys of turbolaser blasts finished off many Imperial ships. A hundred Star Destroyers were dead in space, floating graveyards.

Two hundred more stood, ready to fight.

"All ships in Group Alpha: Break and attack. Cody, take half of Group Beta and follow me in. Pick your targets and go. Madakor out."

_"Copy that, Alpha Lead," _said Cody. _"Transferring control of the other half of Group Beta to Captain Autem." _

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The Blood Fleet and her allies slowly broke rank and charged into the Imperial lines. SPHA-T beams burned bright blue, piercing shields and destroying armor. Proton torpedoes and concussion missiles flew everywhere, and the space between vessels was a storm of turbolaser bolts powerful enough to erase an entire village. However, the mayhem in space was nothing compared to the chaos on the ground.

Lieutenant Li (CT-1552) ducked instinctively as a pair of TIE bombers screamed overhead. Seconds later, an AT-RT squadron was swallowed in a ball of flame. One bomber reeled and crashed, hit by several anti-air rounds. The other wheeled around for another pass.

"Fierfek," said Li through his comlink, "these bombers are tearing us to ribbons and the gunships can't chase them down! We need additional air support _now_, Captain Autem!"

_"Your situation is understood Lieutenant," _replied Autem. There was a faint explosion on Autem's end, and the channel briefly flickered into static and back again. _"We have problems of our own up here. We'll send an Eta-2 squadron, but that's all we can spare. Autem out." _

Li faced the incoming bomber. He motioned to CT-6776, the sergeant commanding the E-Webs. "Fire for maximum effect." He pointed. "Now."

Blaster bolts flew towards the bomber. Most of them missed, but many hit, and the bomber pulled out of its attack run and flew off, leaving a trail of smoke.

Li sighed. _Small victories_.

34th Platoon and 74th Platoon had pinned down the enemy at LZ Alpha, inflicting many casualties. The beachhead on the northeast side of the city was well covered, and the Imperials hadn't been able to break through there. However, 6th and 7th Platoons, the ones in charge of guarding LZ Beta on the southeast end of the city, had been hit heavily by bombers before the enemy had landed there. Large enemy units had penetrated the company's lines, infiltrating the city and capturing several landing platforms. Captain Switchblade, now in charge of the ground operation, had himself been under siege, barely holding off the enemy and protecting the power generator vital to the continued operation of the planetary guns. Li had been ordered to hook up with Lieutenant ARC-1442 Mile's unit and take back control of LZ Beta, but they had been hit by the same bomber squadrons that had wasted most of 6th and 7th Platoons en route to the objective. Only hasty deployment of the E-Web turrets and a nearby anti-air gun had prevented the decimation of 34th Platoon.

Clone troopers took covering positions as a stormtrooper detachment came in sight. DC-15 rifles and carbines spat blue blasts of energy, passing answering red teardrops erupting from the ends of Imperial E-11 carbines. Clone troopers and stormtroopers alike fell dead. Li threw a thermal detonator. There was a huge blast, and the clone officer was hurled to the ground. When the static finally filtered out of his visor, 34th Platoon was still intact.

"Sir!" said CT-, "Five men down, two injured. One E-Web is out of commission, and we have only one AT-RT left. Luckily, there are two AT-TEs moving in to protect our right flank against those enemy 2-M tanks. Orders?"

Li got to his feet. "Send the AT-RT to the rear and move your squad up that ridge. Give us covering fire while we retake LZ Beta."

"What about Lieutenant ARC-1442 and his squad?"

"I'm not waiting for the seven glamour clones and the kid. We need to secure that LZ now." He cycled through channels and contacted Miles. "Miles, where the fierfek are you?"

The channel hissed with static for a second. _"—hostile target eliminated! Sorry Li! Stormies gave us a load of grief. We'll be there in five minutes." _

"We haven't got five minutes! I'm moving in _now_, before they land some di'kutla AT-ATs."

_"Roger that. Miles out."_

It was a legitimate concern. Li, with a little around thirty-nine troopers and a damaged AT-RT, hardly had the equipment necessary to tango with an Imperial walker. He wasn't willing to weaken his right flank by moving an AT-TE to his ranks, and in any case a single Tactical Enforcer was outmatched by the brutal firepower of the Imperial AT-AT.

Then he had an idea. "Command, any larty's available?"

There was a pause at the other end. _"Closest one to your position's Blue Squadron. You're in luck; they have three gunships powered up and ready to go." _

"Request that Blue Squadron provide air cover and aerial surveillance."

_"Request granted. Larties en route to your position in thirty seconds. Command out." _

Li looked up as two Eta-2 Actis Interceptors screamed overhead, chasing down the wounded bomber. Green bolts connected with the flying double-pod, and it went down in flames. Seconds later, the forest two clicks north erupted. The bombers were finally off their back, and High Command certainly had a grip on the situation. LZ Beta was a major landing zone, big enough to land five walkers side by side. If the Imperials landed that many walkers, the city's southern defense line would be breached in a matter of seconds. If 34th Platoon failed to retake it, the city would be lost.

Li had no intention of failing.

His comlink crackled. _"Blue Squadron Leader here, Lieutenant. I've got a visual on the enemy position. You're not gonna like it." _

"Why?" said Li.

_"Two full stormtrooper companies and a 2-M tank squadron." _

"No walkers, though?"

_"No…" _

"Then we'll take 'em."

_"You're off your repulsor." _

"Maybe. Take out the tanks and rain a load of grief on the stormies to soften them up. We'll handle the rest."

_"Sure thing, sir. Blue Leader out." _

As Li watched, three gunships—those things were beautiful—dived like aihwas on Kamino and fired a volley of rockets. When Li and the 34th reach the LZ, all four tanks were smoldering and stormtroopers were firing Merr-Sonn rocket launchers at the gunships. Blue beams cut down the heavy weapons stormtroopers; CT-6776 and his squad using sniper rifles, firing from atop the nearby ridge. The AR-RT fired its mortar, and five stormtroopers were blown apart. Green comp beam fire from the LAAT/i gunships scythed through the enemy ranks.

The stormies were scattering everywhere. Some officers tried to marshal them, and sporadic E-11 fire hit a few clone troopers. They were quickly answered by far more orderly DC-15 fire, cut down without mercy. Four minutes later, LZ Beta was secured.

CT-7657 and his squad collected prisoners, relieving them of their weapons and forcing them into the cargo tray of an LAAT/c under the watchful eyes of the troopers on board. The officers were typical of the Imperial army, wailing threats and retribution and promises of painful punishment, until CT-7657 knocked one's teeth out. They were very cooperative after that.

Lieutenant Miles arrived a minute later. "Sorry Li," said the ARC, "Got tied up by storm commandos. Delta Squad's complaining that they're not made for infantry work; they want to blow something up. So I sent them east with 164th Platoon and an AT-TE group to Phelar City. The Imperial's have set up camp and landed big walkers there, so Delta's gonna blow them up, just like they wanted."

"I can't make up my mind about who's more insane," said Li, "ARCs or commandos."

Miles looked hurt. "How can you say that, vode? There's no question: we're crazier." He laughed. "What's your situation?"

"As you can see, LZ Beta's been secured. 142nd Platoon is moving in to reinforce this position. Tinnie platoons were decimated, of course, but we've set up some droidekas above LZ Alpha like stationary anti- infantry positions. Two AT-TEs are guarding our right flank against Imperial armored units that have landed in the city."

"I heard they were landing 2-Ms in the city," said Miles. "Omega Squad's working on that problem now."

"Not to be too curious, but I thought Omega and Delta were with the Rebels."

"They were, but now they're with us. Seems they like fighting with brothers more than non-clones."

Suddenly, a clone shouted, "Incoming bombers! Take cover!"

Li watched as the three bombers flew in, straight towards his men. It was going to be a long day.

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Madakor clutched the railing as _Apocalypta_ lurched violently. The massive flagship was holding its own, but Thrawn had invested his Interdictors in a dangerous and daring maneuver. Interdictors had massive gravity fields that prevented ships from jumping to hyperspace. However, they could also _pull_ a ship out of hyperspace as well. Thrawn had his Interdictors surround Madakor's ship, activated their gravity generators, then alerted a group of Star Destroyers to choose a hyperspace route that went _past_ Madakor's ship. The Interdictors' gravity wells then pulled the ships out of hyperspace, and Madakor was suddenly surrounded by several Star Destroyers. And they kept appearing. The Interdictors had to go.

"All ships," shouted Madakor over the noise and yelling, "Concentrate fire on the Interdictors' gravity well generators! Use bombers to weaken their shields and finish them off!"

There was a roar of static, and several acknowledgements came over the comlink, but Madakor was already targeting the nearest Interdictor with all seven of _Apocalypta_'s Heavy Dual Mass Driver cannons. HE targeted another with the rest of the other heavy guns and let loose. The second ship listed and smashed into a Star Destroyer that had jumped in too close. The first ship was torn to pieces by the HDMD-77 cannons, and the rounds sailed straight through and ripped a hole in the belly of a nearby Star Destroyer.

Madakor sighed with relief. _This just might work. _

For the next half an hour, Madakor and the ships in the Blood Fleet targeted and destroyed as many Interdictors as they could see, directing bombers and fighters to distract the larger ships while simultaneously cutting through the Imperial lines. Twice Madakor had a good shot at Thrawn's _Admonitor_, but an enemy vessel always got in the line of fire and got destroyed instead.

Madakor was felling better. It was working. _We're winning! _

Suddenly, the comlink crackled and the voice of an anxious clone trooper came through. _"Admiral, hostiles have boarded the ship! They've taken over the fire control room and we can't repel them!" _

It was true. The weapons were not responding to Madakor's commands anymore.

It was then that Madakor realized Thrawn's intention. The Imperial Admiral had realized that he couldn't defeat Madakor's ship in a ship-to-ship action, not with the Interdictors reduced to scrap. So he had allowed Madakor to penetrate his lines, allowing a group of boarding craft to attach themselves to _Apocalypta_'s hull like Nar Shadda leeches. Thrawn wanted to take over the ship, to turn _Apocalypta_ and her massive firepower against Madakor's fleet.

"Fierfek," growled Madakor. "There's no way I'm going to let _that _happen." He turned his attention back to the comlink. "Trooper, do we still have the engine room under control?"

_"Yes sir. We can navigate." _

"Good. Hunker down and guard the engine room with your life. We'll get help soon."

_"Understood sir. CT-0133 out." _

Madakor set a course back to Eriadu. There were only a handful of clones capable of retaking the fire control room, and he needed them right now.

"Omega Squad, Delta Squad, and Squad Seven, You have a new assignment."

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	12. Chapter 12: Ghosts of Alderaan

Chapter 12: Ghosts of Alderaan

RC-1138 was always confident that he could get the job done. He'd done it so many times before: the anti-terrorist op on Triple Zero, rescuing the Wookiee chieftain Tarfful, losing and then rescuing RC-1207, and, after Order 66 came down, he'd helped Omega and the Nulls rescue Bardan Jusik and Etain Tur-Mukan from his own fellow troopers.

He was still absolutely sure he was the best in his job, the best commando, the best leader…although that faith had been shaken a bit by the temporary loss of Sev. And now, he was back to fighting with his brothers and for a Republic.

Delta Squad moved down the corridors of _Apocalypta_, making their way towards the fire control room. Omega Squad was moving towards the flak batteries on the hull, as was Squad Seven; the enemy Storm Commandos had taken over a few guns and were firing on New Republic ships. Omega was off to show them why that was a bad idea, and Squad Seven was going to take one of their boarding craft and return it. Boss was sure that the ARC Squad would most likely blow up half the Imperial fleet.

Delta's job was to retake the fire control room. They'd gathered a few clone troopers for some extra man-power, but Boss knew they lacked the necessary training. And, of course, they had been in cryo stasis practically since the beginning of the Clone Wars. _Probably a little stiff in the joints_, he thought. Not only that, they were wearing extremely outdated Phase-I armor. Even Boss's Mk III Katarn Armor was still up-to-date, something that had been very hard to do, considering the credit-strapped Rebellion. Although, he had to admit, it had been fun, fighting with the Rebels. But Delta and Omega never really fit in, the same way the 501st Legion never got used to the variety of clone templates the Empire used, or how clone trooper Corr felt when he took Darman's place as Omega Squad's demolitions expert. Now, however, Boss was with brothers. It was as close to feeling content as he had come to in the last twenty years.

They reached the door of the fire control room, and Boss motioned to Scorch. "Set a det on that door. None too strong; we don't want to damage the computer systems on the other side."

"Awww…."

"Sev, take the left side. I'll take the right. Fixer, guard our six. Troopers, get ready to storm the room. Follow RC-1207's lead."

"For the explosives," said Scorch, "do you want blind, broke, or bedlam?"

"I'll take option 'a' and option 'c'."

"Right, Three-Eight. Consider it done."

Boss stood on the door's right side while Scorch set the detonator. A few seconds later, Scorch moved behind Sev, and on Boss's orders blew the door.

"Take take take!" yelled Boss.

Four commandos and seven clone troopers charged into the room. Boss opened up with the DC-17, knocking over two Storm Commandos. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a clone trooper melee a SC neatly in the face with the butt of his DC-15. _Joints aren't stiff after all_. He opened up again, and three stormtroopers fell to the floor. Fixer knifed an SC and Sev sniped two more. Then there was silence.

"Sound off," said Boss.

Everyone had made it. Even the troopers. They seemed shocked that they were still alive.

"Heh," chuckled Scorch. "How's that for an opening statement?"

"Your terrible puns will kill me one day, ner vod," growled Sev.

"Nice," said a trooper, who identified himself as CT-0133. "Well done, shiny boys."

"Well done, meat-cans," replied Sev. There was a ripple of laughter.

Boss opened a channel to Admiral Madakor. "Admiral, fire control has been secured. Repeat, fire control room has been secured. You have your guns back now."

"_Well done, Delta,"_ said Madakor. He sounded supremely relieved. _"Omega, sitrep."_

"_Omega here. Mission successfully completed. Flak cannons secured."_

"_Squad Seven here. Same here, sir. We have our ship back, and we're en route to the nearest enemy vessel."_

"_Well done,"_ repeated Madakor. _"Make for the _Admonitor_, Squad Seven. Let's show Thrawn what we thought of his dirty little trick."_

"_Yes sir," _said Miles._ "Squad Seven out."_

"_Omega and Delta: sweep the ship for any remaining hostiles, and then return groundside."_

"Yes sir," said Boss. "Delta out." He looked at his team, the hodge-podge of clone troopers and clone commandos. "Let's go hunt some hutuune."

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Captain ARC-1138 Switchblade watched the holographic display of the battlefield. It was cramped inside the power generator complex, but he didn't much care. He was busy directing the troops to where they had to go. The enemy bombers weren't appearing anymore; Captain Autem had taken care of that problem. However, the enemy had delayed him long enough to inflict several casualties. 34th Platoon had been all but wiped out, and Lieutenant Li (CT-1552) was among the wounded. Phelar City had been retaken, but at the cost of nearly five hundred clone troopers.

If Delta Squad hadn't destroyed those AT-ATs, the casualties would have probably climbed into the thousands.

1st Platoon, one directly under his command, had repelled the enemy from the generators three times with the help of an AT-AP squad. Casualties were high, but the enemy had not tried to assault the generator again.

"Alright 142nd Platoon," he said. "Four Tactical Enforcers are en route to LZ Beta to reinforce your position. Set up sniper squads on the hill to the southeast of the LZ and sandbag that position."

"_Understood, sir. CT-8283 out."_

Lieutenant Knife Edge said, "The Imperials have just retaken Phelar City, sir. Five full companies, three AT-ATs, two AT-ST squads and a 2-M tank squad are on their way from the northeast towards LZ Beta. ETA: half an hour."

"Who are they?"

"704th Legion companies under the command of General Vos Gaarn."

Switchblade nearly chuckled. "That's a silver lining. Gaarn is a moron." He motioned to the holo map. "Take two TX-130S tank squadrons and an AT-AP squadron and reinforce LZ Beta. Use BARC speeders to get close to those walkers and attach charges to their legs."

The BARC speeder tactic was one Switchblade had invented after the disastrous Second Battle of Jabiim during the Clone Wars. The Seperatist commander, Alto Stratus, had his Nimbus commandos attach charges to the first generation GAR AT-ATs' legs and detonated them. It was brutally effective.

"And what about extra man power?" asked Edge.

"405th Platoon and 384th Platoon will reinforce your position as well. ETA is under twenty minutes. You won't have much time, so get going."

"Yes sir."

Switchblade looked up at the night sky. Somewhere up there, Madakor was desperately holding back a force that would overwhelm the 7th. The clone was not given to doubts, but he hoped against hope that Madakor would be alive at the end of this.

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Madakor knew he was dead.

An ARC-170 successfully claimed yet another kill: a TIE Interceptor. The 170 swung out of its run to pick another target, while the TIE fell in a flaming wreck towards the nearest source of gravity: the bridge of _Apocalypta_.

"Intensify the forward batteries!" shouted Madakor. "I don't want anything to get through!" The bridge deflector shields had just failed, and the doomed interceptor was making a beeline for the bridge. "Bring those shields back up!"

There was a flash of light…then nothing.

Madakor opened his eyes to find himself in his mother's garden on Coruscant. There was no one else, not even the usual noise of the city traffic. The planet was unnaturally quiet.

This did not concern him much. He was caught up in a flood of old memories. He barely remembered his mother, only that she had died when he was very young. His father had told him not to go in the garden, because he was a boy and therefore too rough with plants and flowers. But he would take him into the garden on his mother's birthday. Madakor remembered that.

"So…this is where you grew up, I presume?"

Madakor looked up. An old man in Jedi robes was making his way through the flowerbeds towards him. Madakor knew without asking that this was Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he wasn't surprised, for some reason. "Yes. This is where I grew up."

"So, you have come a long way," said Kenobi, "hunting me for twenty years and more. What did you find, instead?"

Madakor thought for a moment. "I found…I realized no one held sway over me. There was no predetermined fate for me. I could choose whatever path I wanted. I guess I'd always hated the Empire." He looked at the old Jedi suspiciously. "It was really funny, you know, realizing all of a sudden I wanted to separate from the Empire. You had a hand in that, old man?"

"I merely gave you a little nudge in the right direction," said Obi-Wan, chuckling slightly.

Madakor glared at him, but then he sighed and leaned back. "Not that it matters anymore."

"Why is that?"

"Well…I'm dead, right?"

Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head. "No, just unconscious." He looked off into the distance. "It seems your soldiers are attempting to revive you. I don't have much time. Remember, if you ever need any help from Jedi, look for a system that you would least suspect it would be found." His outline faded, as well as the garden. "Farewell, young one. May the Force be with you."

"Wait!" said Madakor, but the old man and the garden disappeared in a flash of light.

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CT-9033 said, "He's coming around. He's moving." The Admiral lay on the floor, minus his helmet. He stirred, and then he mumbled something, saying words like 'stupid Jedi' and 'jack-in-the-box'. Then he sat bolt upright.

"What's going on?" he said.

CT-9033 was shocked for a few seconds, but he composed himself and said, "Commander Cody took over when you were knocked out. The Imperials have taken heavy casualties. They are holding position right outside the planetary guns' kill-zone. They've hailed us several times. Will you answer?"

"I…yes, I'll answer them." He winced and got to his feet. He opened the channel and said, "This is Admiral Madakor speaking."

The ghostly holo-image of Admiral Thrawn shimmered above the holotank. _"Well done, Admiral. You have successfully decimated my fleet and defended yourself well. You even saw through my plot to capture your flagship. It has been a very long time since I have encountered someone with your skill."_

"Actually," said Madakor, smiling slightly, "I was unconscious for some time. Commander Cody is the one you should congratulate…but since everyone in my fleet is listening to this, I'm sure he accepts your praise gratefully."

Thrawn smiled. There was no warmth in it. _"You have won this time, Madakor. You may not be so lucky the next time we meet. And that time, I will show no mercy."_

Madakor returned the cold smile. "I'll look for you on the field."

Thrawn nodded, and the channel closed. The _Admonitor_ and its remaining consorts turned out-system and disappeared into hyperspace.

Madakor wasted no time watching them. "Status report," he barked.

A clone was already ready with the answer. "Thirty-four ships destroyed, sixty-one disabled, one hundred fighters and bombers lost, sixty missing, and four-hundred-thirty-three-thousand-six-hundred personnel dead, injured or missing. Commander Cody has already sent out rescue craft to recover the escape pods. Any further orders?"

"Put me through to Captain ARC-1138," said Madakor. He needed to know what casualties his loyal ground troops had sustained. Suddenly, he remembered something. "What happened to Lieutenant Miles?"

"His boarding craft was disabled before he could board the enemy vessel, sir. They're still missing, but _Courageous _has been diverted and they are looking for them as we speak."

Madakor was deeply concerned. But he busied himself with the status report that Switchblade had just sent up.

The 7th Sky Corp had not been hit as hard as the fleet. The numbers were still high, though: nearly eight thousand dead, ten thousand wounded or missing, and several vehicles were destroyed as well. However, it was one of the dead he saw that caught his attention: Lieutenant CA-1207 "Knife Edge". The clone had given his life trying to fend off the Imperial 704th Legion, and he had killed General Gaarn himself. His sacrifice had been worth it: the loss of their leader had halted the 704th, and Captain Switchblade had regrouped and destroyed them.

Altogether, the 7th and the Blood Fleet had sustained over four-hundred-fifty-thousand casualties and the loss of over thirty ships. But they had done it. They had won. Madakor stared out at the field of nearly three hundred wrecked Imperial ships, and felt a twang of regret at having taken so many lives.

"_They are all one with the Force now."_

Madakor looked around for the source of the voice. It sounded impossibly like…but it didn't matter. He had work to do. The Imperials would be looking for the Rebellion now, hoping perhaps to destroy them before they joined the New Republic. The HoloNews network was probably being screened of any news of Madakor's victory. He had to attend to the economy, to security, and the rebuilding of the fleet. There were several Clone War era vessels floating around in the galaxy that he could refit. There was a Spaarti cloning facility on _Apocalypta_, and Kamino was in the Outer Rim, waiting to be liberated…as well as many other planets under the Empire's fist, like Rendili and Mon Calamari and Geonosis. And not least of all, the future of the New Republic was still uncertain.

Madakor wondered what to do next. He would leave the politics and economy up to Mon Mothma, the Rebel leader, when she arrived. When all that was taken care of, he would search for the planet Obi-Wan Kenobi had told him about. One thing was for certain: The New Republic needed Jedi, and he would provide the Republic with them.

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Fin

**Don't be dismayed! The sequel of this story, entitled 'Star Wars: Search for the Jedi Temple', will appear in 2008!**


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